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Article

5 Dec 2017

Author:
The Independent

Germany: Lufthansa pilots ground 222 flights after refusing to deport asylum seekers

German pilots have grounded more than 220 flights because they were being used to deport failed asylum seekers. Many of the pilots involved said they wanted no part in sending people back to Afghanistan, where violence is still rife following years of war and occupation by Western forces. Germany has deemed it a "safe country of origin" in some cases, despite ongoing violence and repression in parts of the country. Between January and September 222 flights were cancelled, according to German government figures, with most – 140 – coming at Frankfurt airport. Others refused to fly from Cologne and Bonn. The figures were obtained by the Die Link political party, which is commonly referred to as the Left Party. Some of the grounded flights belonged to Lufthansa and its subsidiary, Eurowings...