Brussels Airlines has said it is cutting its workforce by 25%. The airline has a total of 4,200 employees, according to its website.
In a statement on its website, the airline, which is part of the Lufthansa group, says it is taking measures to combat the impact of the coronavirus.
“…the company asks for support from both, its shareholder Lufthansa and the Belgian government. Within its turnaround plan, Brussels Airlines is structurally tackling its cost structure and optimizes its network by cutting marginally profitable and unprofitable routes, resulting in a fleet reduction of 30%. The overall size of the company, and as a consequence of its workforce, will be 25% smaller. As a socially responsible employer, Brussels Airlines will work together with its social partners to reduce the number of forced dismissals to an absolute minimum,” Brussels Airlines says statement online says.
A press officer for the company tells CNN, “our turnaround plan is a plan only and exclusively focusing on Brussels Airlines.”
A Lufthansa Press Officer said Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr in April commented the company post-crisis would end up with 100 fewer planes and 10,000 fewer employees.
Last week, Lufthansa, which owns airlines in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Belgium, unveiled a €1.2 billion (or about $1.3 billion) first quarter loss and said it is burning through its cash reserves at a rate of €1 million ($1.1 million) per hour.
