Berlin, October 21 (RHC)-- Pilots of Europe's largest airline Lufthansa have started their two-day strike, forcing the cancelation of some 1,500 flights. Pilots of Germany's main airline had said that the strike would mostly target European flights, but on Monday they said it would also encompass international routes.

Long-haul pilots will start their industrial action on Tuesday, joining their fellow short- and medium-haul pilots who stopped working on Monday. An estimated 200,000 passengers are to be affected by the walkouts.

According to German pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), all Lufthansa long-haul flights on Airbus A380, A340 and A330 planes, as well as any national flights on Boeing 747s, will be affected.

The VC, which represents nearly 5,400 of Lufthansa Group's 9,000 pilots, called on the airline to "abandon their hard-line attitude" and "make a contribution to the resolution of the labor dispute."

The pilot strikes follow one of the biggest strikes by German train drivers over pay and working hours, which caused disruption across the country over the weekend. German train drivers' union had called for a five-percent pay raise for its drivers and the reduction of their working hours from 39 to 37 per week.

The German government has said that these continues strikes will impact some sectors of the economy, also the German Industry Federation has criticized the strikes for harming the entire economy.