Lufthansa, striking pilots agree to suspend walkout

Frankfurt: Both sides said a four-day walkout by Lufthansa pilots that disrupted travel for thousands of people was cut short after the airline and their union agreed to suspend the strike and hold talks.

They reached an agreement after a two-hour long hearing at a Frankfurt labor court, said Cockpit union spokesman Joerg Handwerg on Tuesday.

Lufthansa confirmed the decision and said the walkout would end at midnight (2300 GMT).

"The parties agreed in front of the court that the strike is to be suspended through the 8th of March," said Lufthansa spokesman Andreas Bartels.

Bartels added that the 4,000 pilots will return to work on Tuesday, though it would take some time for normal operations to resume.

On Monday, Lufthansa Airlines cancelled two-thirds of its global flights after more than 4,000 of its pilots began the walkout.

The Vereinigung Cockpit union planned the strike because pilots fear being transferred to the airline's subsidiaries, such as Austrian Airlines or Lufthansa Italia, and subsequently receive lower pay.

The German carrier tried to stave off the strike on Sunday by saying it would offer job security to its 4,000 pilots until 2012 if the union would return to negotiations.