FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Against a backdrop of expected market-wide weakness, Lufthansa shares fell significantly in pre-market trading on Monday. In addition to developments in the Middle East, which are once again driving oil prices higher, the airline's stock is also suffering from a new round of pilot strikes. On the Tradegate platform, shares were trading four percent below Friday's Xetra closing price this morning. The share price is thus approaching levels seen prior to the agreed ceasefire in Iran.

Following the provisional collapse of peace negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, oil prices are rallying again due to the naval blockade of Iranian vessels subsequently announced by U.S. President Donald Trump. In a sector study, analyst Alex Irving of Bernstein Research reduced his price target for the airline, noting that "kerosene costs are burning through profits." Lufthansa is also being hampered at the start of the week by the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) union, which has called for walkouts through Tuesday./tih