Lufthansa plans to cut 22,000 jobs
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German airline Lufthansa has said it will cut 22,000 jobs as it struggles to deal with the slump in air travel caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The carrier predicted a slow recovery in demand and expected to have about 100 fewer aircraft after the crisis.
Lufthansa said half the job cuts would be in Germany. It hopes to agree the measures with unions by 22 June.
It added that it hoped to minimise redundancies through short-time working and crisis agreements.
“The aim is to pave the way for the preservation of as many jobs as possible in the Lufthansa Group,” the firm said.
Lufthansa labour director Michael Niggemann said: “Without a significant reduction in personnel costs during the crisis, we will miss the opportunity of a better restart from the crisis and risk that the Lufthansa Group will emerge from the crisis significantly weakened.”
Last month, Lufthansa agreed a rescue deal worth €9bn (£8bn) with the German government to save it from collapse.
The German government will take a 20% stake in the firm, which it intends to sell by the end of 2023.
However, the deal still has to be approved by the firm’s shareholders and the European Commission.
The company closed its budget airline Germanwings in April.
