German airline Lufthansa is planning to cut up to 22,000 jobs as it struggles to cope up with the travel restrictions occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic, the BBC reports.
The airline has predicted that the demand will recover slowly and will have 100 fewer aircraft after the pandemic.
Half of the jobs that will be lost will be in Germany. The airline is hoping to agree the measures with unions by June 22.
The airline has employed over 135,000 workers worldwide. About half of them work in Germany.
‘’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.” Said Michael Niggemann, the firm’s labour director.
The German government agreed to rescue Lufthansa from collapse last month after striking a rescue deal worth £8bn with the firm.
The government of Germany will take a 20% stake in the firm, which it intends to sell by the end of 2023.
The deal is awaiting approval by the firm’s shareholders and the European commission.
Other airlines that are also planning to lay off workers in order to cope with the pandemic include:
- Easy jet has confirmed it will cut 30% of its workers – about 4500 jobs
- Ryanair is planning to lay off 15% of its workforce – about 3,000 jobs
- British Airways is proposing to make 12,000 of its 45,000 staff redundant. More than 1,000 pilot jobs are at risk.
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