Berlin, Oct 27 (IANS): Hundreds of flights of low-cost German airline Eurowings were cancelled on Thursday due to a cabin crew strike.

Some 380 flights of Eurowings, a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group, were grounded over a 24-hour strike that was in effect from midnight, the airline said.

Most of the routes affected were national flights within Germany, but flights to other European destinations were also cancelled, Efe news reported.

Long-haul routes were operating normally.

Eurowings said that all affected passengers _ over 50,000 according to estimates by German media _ may cancel or change their travel plans at no extra cost.

The strike affected the airports of Hamburg, Hanover, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Stuttgart and Cologne-Bonn, while the country's two largest airports - Frankfurt and Munich - were unaffected.

Cabin crew are striking after Wednesday's breakdown in negotiations over a contractual dispute between the airline and the cabin crew union.

The cabin crew representatives have asked the affected passengers for their understanding and warned of further industrial action should the labour dispute remain unresolved.