The employers responded immediately, turning to the courts to have the strike prohibited. The Bild newspaper reported that Lufthansa had applied for an injunction against the planned strike by air traffic controllers before the Labour Court in Munich. Earlier, the state-owned German Air Navigation Services (DFS) had already requested a preliminary injunction from the Frankfurt Labour Court.

DFS claims the work stoppage is “politically motivated” and therefore illegal. Originally, GdF announced it would immediately appeal should the action face a court ban, but then it withdrew the strike call.