German pilots union VC called a strike again at Deutsche Lufthansa in a dispute over retirement benefits, targeting the airline's Cargo unit on Oct. 8-9. The strike at Lufthansa, Germany's largest airline, is the sixth by its pilots this year and the first to target the air freight unit only. The union said the walkout would last from Oct. 8, 9:00 p.m. EDT, until Oct. 9, 4:30 p.m. EDT, affecting all Lufthansa Cargo flights departing from German airports. The Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) trade union, representing about 5,400 Lufthansa pilots, wants the airline to maintain a scheme that allows pilots to retire early at the age of 55 and still receive up to 60 percent of their pay before regular pension payments start. Lufthansa said 21 cargo flights were scheduled to depart from its main hub in Frankfurt during the strike and that it would try to operate as many flights as possible. "Since about half of the freight is being carried by Lufthansa and (subsidiary) Austrian Airlines' passenger aircraft, customers of Lufthansa Cargo will have our global transport network at their disposal even during the announced strike times," it said. The dispute rages on while a two-week stoppage by pilots at rival Air France ended on Sept. 28, having cost the Franco-Dutch company 280 million euros ($355 million). The long-established European carriers are running into opposition from powerful unions as they try to cut costs to compete with budget airlines. Lufthansa has offered to keep the pension scheme for employees who started before this year but wants to increase the earliest possible retirement age for new recruits. The union says it is unfair for new pilots to not receive this option. (Reuters)