Lufthansa calls for widespread testing as group confirms further cuts
Germany flag-carrier Lufthansa has confirmed it will cut further jobs in addition to the 22,000 redundancies already announced.
No new figures were provided, with final losses to reflect market conditions, the company explained in a statement. As part of a third round of restructuring, the airline also said it would reduce its roughly 800-strong fleet by 150 planes by 2025, compared with an earlier plan to scrap 100 aircraft.
The remaining eight Airbus A380s in the fleet, as well as ten A340-600s, are among the aircraft which will be transferred to long-term storage and removed from planning. Decommissioning the aircraft will cost around €1.1 billion, Lufthansa said, while confirming they would only return following an unexpected upturn in demand.
Six Airbus A380s were permanently taken out of service earlier this year.
The latest moves were necessary with passenger numbers and booking figures now in decline as the summer travel season comes to an end, Lufthansa said. The German airline group said in a statement it was losing some €500 million during the Covid-19 crisis.
While Lufthansa had previously hoped to offer around half of 2019 capacity this winter, the group now expects the figure to be between 20 and 30 per cent.
“In the executive board’s assessment, the continuing high level of uncertainty in global air traffic makes short-term adjustments to the current market situation unavoidable for the foreseeable future,” added a statement.
“The board considers the expansion of coronavirus tests prior to departure an essential prerequisite for the resumption of global mobility.
“Consistent testing is possible, increases safety for travellers and is a better alternative than changing inconsistent entry and quarantine regulations.”