Lufthansa cancels dozens of long-haul flights due to strike Tuesday

Lufthansa logo is pictured during a pilots' strike of German flagship carrier Lufthansa at Munich's airport March 18, 2015. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle

BERLIN (Reuters) - Lufthansa cancelled just under half of its long-haul flights planned for Tuesday after pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) called an all-day strike in a long-running dispute over pay, retirement benefits and cost cuts.

The union said on Monday the strike, the 13th walkout in 18 months, would affect long-haul passenger flights and cargo flights out of Germany from 0600 GMT (0700 BST) to 2159 GMT (2259 BST) on Tuesday.