Lufthansa pilots voted on Sunday (July 31) in favour of a possible strike, by a margin of 97.6%. This is on the back of the recent industrial action taken by the airline that caused widespread disruption and cancellations at its Frankfurt and Munich hubs.

“We are showing we are ready to talk,” says Marcel Groels, Board Member of Vereinigung Cockpit, the pilot union. He explains that the vote does not mean a strike is definite but rather a message to Lufthansa that there are steps that need to be taken.

The union is demanding a 5.5% salary increase for pilots this year and automatic inflation-related compensation thereafter.

It also wants a uniform pay structure for all staff at the Lufthansa Group’s airlines, including Eurowings.