Lufthansa shuts low-cost airline and says aviation won’t recover for years
At Lufthansa, 13 Airbus aircraft and five Boeing 747-400s will be permanently decommissioned, with a further 11 Airbus A320s withdrawn from short-haul operations. These actions will reduce capacity at Lufthansa’s hubs in Frankfurt and Munich, the company said.
Operations at Germanwings will be discontinued with a further 10 A320s phased out at parent Eurowings. Fleet sizes will also be permanently reduced at Lufthansa Cityline, a regional carrier operating flights to tourist destinations, as well as at Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines. Swiss International Air Lines will adjust its fleet size by delaying deliveries of new short haul aircraft and potentially phasing out older aircraft ahead of schedule, Lufthansa said.
The company said that it will arrange talks with unions and workers councils to discuss “new employment models in order to keep as many jobs as possible.”