LONDON 

Lufthansa was forced to cancel more than 1,300 flights because of strikes at airports in Germany, the flag carrier said Thursday.

The Verdi trade union decided to take strike action for public sector employees at Frankfurt/Main, Munich, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Dortmund, Hanover and Bremen airports.

"As a result, the Lufthansa Group is regrettably forced to suspend its flight operations at its German hubs in Frankfurt and Munich in particular for that day, canceling a total of more than 1,300 flights," it said in a statement about the flights scheduled for Friday.

Lufthansa said it already informed passengers affected by the cancellations and, where possible, is offering alternative connections and rebooking on rail.

"We regret the enormous impact of this warning strike which is being carried out at the expense of our passengers. We are not a party to the collective bargaining and have no influence on it – nevertheless, our guests and we are massively affected," it added.

Regular operations are expected to be back to normal as early as Saturday, said Lufthansa.