The restrictions on international travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly impacted aviation demand, especially on the Lufthansa Group. As lockdown measures are slowly eased and demand for air travel resumes, what are the Lufthansa Group's plans?
Lufthansa temporarily withdrew entire A340-600 fleet Photo by Matt Lino | AeroNewsX
The news that the Lufthansa Group is going to “significantly expand their services” is welcoming news for many European travellers, who may have been concerned that there would be no air travel at all this summer. The Group is still currently in the final stages of negotiating a €9 billion rescue package with the German government. German ministers are keen to strike a deal, however, both parties are still debating the German government's persistence on having a 25% stake in Lufthansa. Even with the prospect of a rescue package, the airline has been losing €800 million a month since its fleet was grounded. Despite the ongoing negotiations for a rescue deal for both Lufthansa and Brussels Airlines, the Group is keen to recommence flight operations, with an announcement that it is planning to have around 1,800 weekly flights.
The situation at Lufthansa
Back in April, the German flag carrier reported that it was removing a total of 52 planes from its fleet due to the collapse of air traffic demand in the German and international market. The airline also announced that it was retiring its entire Airbus A340-600 fleet 'temporarily' for one to one and a half years, with speculation that it could become permanent. Even with the reduction in their fleet size the airline is still planning on resuming a number of flights as early as “the first half of June,” with the airline planning to have flights “to more than 130 destinations worldwide" by the end of June. In addition to a number of short-haul destinations, Lufthansa is planning to have 14 long-haul destinations by the first half of June to destinations such as Mexico City, Dubai, Sao Paulo, Tokyo and Bangkok. The airline stressed that the “resumption of these long-haul flights is subject to possible travel restrictions.”
The situation at Eurowings
Eurowings, Lufthansa’s low-cost subsidiary, announced last week that it would be expanding its basic flight programme. The basic flight services currently consist of providing “important domestic German connections as well as flights to selected destinations in Europe.” The majority of these flights are operated from Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Cologne/Bonn and Stuttgart airports. The airline is also planning on increasing its flight operations in the coming weeks, offering flights from several German airports to the island of Mallorca in addition to twenty destinations from its base in Düsseldorf.
The situation at SWISS
Since the end of March, SWISS and Swiss WorldCargo have operated more than 200 cargo-only flights, delivering over 4,000 tonnes of cargo to Switzerland from Asia. The carrier is also expecting to conduct a number of cargo flights for various public institutions and private companies, including the airline’s first-ever flights to Toronto and Shenzhen. The first of four flights to Toronto was conducted on the 12th of May, and from 22nd of May onwards, the airline will operate “ten cargo-only flights” to Shenzhen. All of these flights will be performed with their Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, with preparation work underway to convert 4 Boeing 777-300ER by removing the economy seats “in order to increase the cargo volume on the aircraft.”
SWISS plan to convert 4 Boeing 777-300ER “to increase the cargo volume on the aircraft". Photo by Cole McAndrew | AeroNewsX
In addition to these cargo flights, the airline is planning to resume flights to various destinations in the Mediterranean and to important European cities, such as Paris, Brussels and Moscow. SWISS is also planning on operating some long haul services in June to destinations such as to Chicago, Singapore, Mumbai, Hong Kong and Johannesburg. The airline said that “by including further intercontinental destinations to the SWISS route network” this will allow the company’s air freight division to "expand its services."
The situation at Austrian Airlines
Austrian Airlines had planned to resume flights by the 29th of May. However, the airline extended its suspension of flight operations by a further week. It now is planning on beginning services on the 7th of June. This is the fifth time that the Lufthansa Group carrier has amended its operational return date since the airline grounded its fleet in March. However, the 7th June date is not definitive, as the airline stated that the restart date “during the month of June is under review.”
Austrian Airlines Boeing 767-300. By Andrew Pries | AeroNewsX
Austrian Airlines Chief Commercial Officer, Andreas Otto stated that “When the demand is right and the travel restrictions fall, we want to fly again.” However, as the Austrian government won’t be reopening borders with Germany and possibly other countries until June 15th, this raises doubts as to whether Austrian Airlines can even fly if borders with other countries are not open.
The situation at Brussels Airlines
Meanwhile, Brussels Airlines is “planning to resume its operations from June 15th.” According to a press release, the Belgian carrier plans to start with a reduced number of flights "that will be built up in a phased approach" according to market demand and travel restrictions. The airline ceased all commercial flights on the 21st of March as a result of COVID-19. The Belgian carrier did not indicate what cities it would start flying to, however, it said that it would “cater to the needs of the corporate as well as the leisure market,” citing countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Greece, Portugal and Spain.
Brussel Airlines Airbus A319 registered OO-SSM. Photo by Jero Vida | AeroNewsX
The airline also announced last week that it will be trying to “optimise route profitability” with the airline confirming that flights to destinations such as Seville and Valencia, including two long-haul flights were to be scrapped. In the meantime, negotiations are still ongoing between the Belgian government and the Lufthansa Group about financial support for Brussels Airlines. The airline group is seeking €240 million in aid from the government, despite the Belgian airline announcing on Tuesday it was to cut a quarter of its staff and reduce its aircraft fleet by 30%.
The Lufthansa Group board remains confident that all of the group’s airlines will be flying in June. Harry Hohmeister, a Member of the Executive Board of Lufthansa Airline Group, said that “People want to and can travel again, whether on holiday or for business reasons. That's why we will continue to expand our offer step by step in the coming months and connect Europe with each other and Europe with the world.”
All of the Lufthansa Group's airlines are still encouraging passengers to continue “to wear a nose-and-mouth cover on board during the entire journey.” The Lufthansa Group reiterated in a press release that all customers who wish to travel “should consider the current entry and quarantine regulations of the respective destinations.” The notice issued by the airline group comes after many European governments, including the UK, have decided to impose 14 days of quarantine on all arriving passengers.
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