Lufthansa is ironically saving itself from the crisis. A few days ago, CEO Spohr declared that the red pencil had to be pulled out again. Now even an entire type of aircraft is to be decommissioned.
Lufthansa's Airbus A380 fleet is apparently finally about to end. A corresponding decision could be made in the supervisory board at the beginning of next week, writes "Der Spiegel", citing corporate circles. Since there are hardly any intercontinental flights anymore due to the corona crisis, most of the aircraft in the Lufthansa fleet are currently on the ground. The group had announced that it would decide in the third quarter on the possible shutdown of parts of the fleet.
Six of the 14 Airbus A380s operated by the core airline Lufthansa were already phased out early in the first half of the year, as the interim report shows. The group continues to say that it is very unlikely that the remaining eight A380s will ever take off again. In future, the airline will rely on the newer Boeing 747-8 and the fuel-efficient, smaller Airbus A350 for its long-haul routes.
Germany's largest airline is threatened in its existence by the corona pandemic. The state had to step in with billions in aid. In order to make ends meet, the former Dax company is pursuing a rigorous austerity course. There are no specific decisions about the design of the fleet or about further job cuts, a spokesman said later.
So far, the group has announced that it intends to cut 22,000 jobs worldwide, which corresponds to around 26,000 employees due to the high part-time quota. It is already known that the initially planned reduction of the fleet by 100 to around 660 machines may not be sufficient. In particular, the four-engine overseas machines, which are difficult to use and also consume a comparatively large amount of kerosene, are on the brink. The newer Boeing 747-8 Jumbos alone still have a future in the group, according to Spohr, according to the aero.de portal.
With the flight attendant union Ufo, the group has ruled out redundancies for Germany. However, this could quickly become obsolete if demand continues to develop weakly. Lufthansa has not yet concluded any long-term restructuring collective agreements with the unions for the pilots and ground crew.
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