Throughout the summer, the airline intends to cancel 34,000 flights. The reason for this is the group's obvious staff shortfall. And the figure might rise if cuts are made at subsidiaries like as Eurowings.
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| Lufthansa is canceling thousands of flights in the summer |
According to media reports, Lufthansa is severely cutting its summer flying schedule owing to a continuous workforce shortage. Throughout the summer half-year, Lufthansa cancels over 34,000 flights, accounting for approximately 10% of the current flying schedule. "Lufthansa has altered the 2023 summer flight timetable between Frankfurt and Munich," stated a "Wirtschaftswoche" group representative. Up to 500 flights per day will be canceled. The primary reason is that the whole industry "continues to suffer from bottlenecks and staff shortages, especially in Europe.
Airports, ground handling services, and air traffic control are all experiencing issues, as are the airlines themselves. The canceled flights should reduce burden and "allow more stability for the entire system," according to a Lufthansa official. The figures are not yet perfect, "since further daily deletions can always be added," according to the spokeswoman. According to the magazine, which cited sources, there may also be flight disruptions at Eurowings and Swiss. Lufthansa could not be reached for comment at first.
During the Corona crisis, the firm lay off about 30,000 workers, and the German government had to bail out the airline with billions of euros in loans. With the easing of several regulatory limitations, the urge to travel has back, business is prospering - and the laid-off personnel have vanished. The organization has repaid the state funding. The airline boosted its 2022 operational profit target to 1.5 billion euros in December. On March 3, the corporation will release its financial results for the fiscal year 2022. Last November, the German airline began a massive hiring drive to address the employment crisis. Lufthansa and Eurowings intend to hire 20,000 more staff by the end of 2023.
Several fields of aviation are experiencing a staffing shortage. Hundreds of workers went missing at German airports last summer amid the unexpectedly sharp restart. Last year, the airline had to reduce its summer flight schedule since the increase in air traffic staff was not projected to keep up with the robust rebound in travel demand. To stabilize the system, the organization canceled over 7,000 flights. The flight of many staff from the airport to other occupations was one of the causes of last summer's difficulty in dealing with extended wait times and delays, which could only be managed with fewer planes.
The trade union ver.di has previously stated that the personnel shortage is not yet remedied. She advocates for higher wages in collective bargaining so that more workers may be hired.