German national carrier Lufthansa has launched a legal bid to force its pilots to cancel their industrial action.
The strike, called by German pilots union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), started today (Feburary 22) and is planned to last until Thursday (February 25). VC represents some 4,500 of Lufthansa's pilots.
A Lufthansa spokeswoman told ABTN: "Lufthansa is convinced that the strike action is disproportionate in terms of a reaction to the issues at hand. Therefore it has applied for an injunction through the necessary authorities."
The dispute is over Lufthansa's "ongoing programme to safeguard the company's earnings", which aims to cut €1bn in costs and 20% of the workforce.
Lufthansa has been forced to cancel some 800 flights today as a result of the strike, but a further 1,000 are operating.
Out of the UK, around 75% of flights are operating, while Lufthansa Italia flights have not been affected by the strike.
Lufthansa has said it will do its "utmost to reduce the impact for travelers".
www.lufthansa.com