Lufthansa plans to cut 22,000 jobs

German airline Lufthansa has said it will cut 22,000 jobs as it struggles to deal with the slump in air travel caused by the coronavirus pandemic, reports BBC.

The carrier predicted a slow recovery in demand and expected to have about 100 fewer aircraft after the crisis.

Lufthansa said half the job cuts would be in Germany. It hopes to agree the measures with unions by 22 June.

It added that it hoped to minimise redundancies through short-time working and crisis agreements.

"The aim is to pave the way for the preservation of as many jobs as possible in the Lufthansa Group," the company said.

The airline employs more than 135,000 people worldwide. About half of them are in Germany.

Lufthansa labour director Michael Niggemann said: "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."