Lufthansa LHAG.DE pilots will stage a two-day strike from Thursday in a dispute over pensions but will exempt flights to specified countries in the Middle East "in light of the current situation" there, pilots union VC said.

Pilots are in conflict with Lufthansa's core airline and its cargo division over pensions. The union declared readiness to strike after a ballot last year to pressure the company into granting more generous retirement benefits. Intermittent talks have taken place since then without success.

"We would have very much liked to avoid further escalation," VC President Andreas Pinheiro said in a statement on Tuesday. "But there is still no offer on the table. It's no use if the other side only signals a willingness to talk but refuses to discuss substantial improvements to the company pension scheme."

The strike will affect flights operated by Lufthansa Cargo AG and Lufthansa passenger flights departing from German airports between 00:01 on March 12 and 23:59 on March 13.

The strike exempted flights to Egypt, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Yemen, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, the statement said.

During previous strike action last month, Lufthansa said it had affected passengers "extremely harshly and disproportionately".

-Ilona Wissenbach/Reuters