FRANKFURT, Germany (AFP) — German airline Lufthansa said yesterday it would cancel around half of its scheduled domestic and European flights today due to a new 24-hour walkout by pilots.

Of a total 1,400 short- and medium-haul flights, a total 750 would be cancelled, a Lufthansa spokesman said.

Around 80,000 passengers would be affected.

The company’s personnel chief Bettina Volkens slammed the industrial action as “completely disproportionate”.

The pilots’ union Cockpit has called on its members to stop work between 2301 GMT on Tuesday and 2259 GMT on Wednesday in a long-running dispute over early retirement provisions.

It is the 12th walkout since last April over management plans to change the pilots’ transitional pension arrangements.

Currently, pilots can retire at 55 and receive up to 60 per cent of their pay until they reach the statutory retirement age of 65.

Lufthansa wants to scrap the arrangement.

The carrier’s long-haul services, as well as those operated by its subsidiaries Germanwings, Eurowings and Air Dolomiti, as well as Swiss and Austrian Airlines, will not be affected by the walkout on Wednesday, Lufthansa said.