Lufthansa Group outlines fleet, capacity reduction plans
Lufthansa Group has outlined plans to drastically reshape the fleets that its various AOCs operate in the interests of matching capacity to demand in a soon-to-come post-COVID-19 world.
A statement issued after a Tuesday boardroom meeting said that six out of Lufthansa's fourteen A380-800s, seven of its seventeen A340-600s, and five of its thirteen remaining B747-400s are to be permanently decommissioned. In addition, eleven A320-200s will be withdrawn from short-haul operations.
"The six A380s were already scheduled for sale to Airbus in 2022," it said. "The decision to phase out seven A340-600s and five B747-400s was taken based on the environmental as well as economic disadvantages of these aircraft types. With this decision, Lufthansa will be reducing capacity at its hubs in Frankfurt Int'l and Munich."
Furthermore, Lufthansa CityLine (CL, Munich) will also withdraw three of its five A340-300s from service. Since 2015, the regional carrier has been operating flights to long-haul tourist destinations for Lufthansa.
As recently reported, Eurowings (EW, Düsseldorf Int'l) will see its germanwings (4U, Cologne/Bonn) subsidiary shuttered while the number of aircraft it operates overall will be reduced by ten A320-200s. In addition, Eurowings' long-haul flying will be curtailed.
Concerning Austrian Airlines (OS, Vienna) and Brussels Airlines (SN, Brussels National), the group said existing restructuring programs will be further intensified due to the coronavirus crisis. Among other things, both companies are working on reducing their fleets. Swiss (LX, Zurich) will also adjust its fleet size by delaying deliveries of new short-haul aircraft and will also consider early phase-outs of older aircraft.
In its own press release, Austrian Airlines said that it did not anticipate a return to the pre-COVID-19 level of demand before 2023 at the earliest. As such, the Austrian unit of Lufthansa Group was talking with its parent and social partners about "realignment including a reduction in the size of the fleet and consistent restructuring".
In addition, Lufthansa Group airlines have already terminated "almost all" wet-lease agreements with third-party airlines. Though the exact contracts that have been axed were not specified, at present time, the list includes:
- TUI fly (Germany) (X3, Hanover) which operates seven B737s (one B737-700 and seven -800s) for Eurowings;
- LGW - Luftfahrtgesellschaft Walter (HE, Dortmund) which operates sixteen Dash 8-400s for Eurowings;
- Helvetic Airways (2L, Zurich) which operates various E190s/E190-E2s for Swiss (LX, Zurich);
- SunExpress Deutschland (XG, Frankfurt Int'l) which operates seven A330-200s for Eurowings and two B737-800s for Lufthansa.
"The aim remains the same for all employees affected by the restructuring measures: to offer as many people as possible continued employment within the Lufthansa Group," it added. "Therefore, talks with unions and workers councils are to be arranged quickly to discuss, among other things, new employment models in order to keep as many jobs as possible."
