by Donald Wood
Last updated: 5:15 PM ET, Tue September 12, 2017
Officials from airberlin have announced that around 70 flights were canceled Tuesday after an unusually high number of pilots called in sick to work.
According to Reuters, the flight cancellations impacted travelers trying to fly out of facilities throughout Germany, including Berlin Tegel Airport, Dusseldorf Airport, Hamburg Airport and Cologne Bonn Airport.
The pilots' union, Vereinigung Cockpit, did not release a statement on the incident.
Last month, airberlin was forced to file for bankruptcy protection after shareholder Etihad Airways withdrew funding following years of losses. Airberlin is Germany's second-largest airline.
The carrier is now being sold, with bidders having until September 15 to submit binding offers. The decision on which company will be permitted to purchase the airline could come as early as September 21.
[READMORE]READ MORE: Airberlin Files for Bankruptcy Protection[/READMORE]
Lufthansa, the largest German airline, is reportedly "seen in pole position to acquire large parts of its rival," according to Reuters.
The unusually high number of pilots calling in sick is not an unfamiliar tactic. Last year, leisure airline TUI fly Deutschland was also forced to cancel flights after pilots didn't show up for work to express concern about how merger talks could have lead to job and pay cuts.
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