India, Feb. 13 -- Hundreds of flights were cancelled across Germany on Thursday as pilots and flight attendants at the Lufthansa airline went on strike over pay and working conditions.

At the country's largest airport in Frankfurt, 450 of 1,117 departures were scrapped, with 275 of 920 flights leaving from Munich also grounded.

Around 4,800 pilots at Lufthansa and its cargo subsidiary Lufthansa Cargo are striking in a dispute over higher company pensions.

The UFO union has also called on staff at regional subsidiary Lufthansa CityLine, which is facing closure, to join the walkout.

Management has rejected the unions' demands.

"The strike is going as we expected," said UFO expert Harry Jaeger on Thursday at Frankfurt airport, where lon...