A labor court in the German state of Hesse has issued a temporary injunction against the pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit, ordering Lufthansa pilots to halt their strike. The walkout is the 13th amid a pay dispute.

The regional labor court in the German city of Frankfurt issued the injunction on Wednesday in response to an appeal by Lufthansa, which had earlier failed to stop the strike through the courts.

The court called the strike "unlawful," saying it was not directed at achieving a concrete goal with regard to wages, but rather against Lufthansa's plans to expand its budget airline subsidiaries.

Strikes that take aim at company policy without concrete pay or benefits objectives in view are not allowed under German law.

The pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit said Wednesday's ruling meant all pilots must immediately return to work. However, it remained unclear when flights would return to normal.

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