Lufthansa To Cut 1,100 Pilot Jobs

Lufthansa will reduce the number of pilot jobs from the current 5,000 to approximately 3,900 jobs. A spokesperson for the company confirmed this after reports from Der Spiegel.

The decision is a result of the ongoing recession in the aviation industry. Initially, Lufthansa hoped that the number of bookings would pick up again in autumn. However, the predicted growth is nowhere to be seen.

Earlier this week it became clear that Lufthansa will therefore be taking additional austerity measures. The airline is already cutting the number of aircraft, reducing the fleet from 800 to 650 airfraft over the coming years.

This also has consequences for their pilots. The company wants to scrap 1,100 of its 5,000 pilot jobs by 2022. Lufthansa hopes to focus mainly on part-time work and early retirement. It is currently in consultation with employee representatives to discuss options.

Last month, the German pilot union VC reached an agreement about lowering the compensation for pilots. In return, the company would not fire pilots until March 2021. At that time, Lufthansa indicated that it was looking further for a solution for the surplus of pilots for the longer term.