MUNICH/FRANNKFURT (dpa-AFX) - The Lufthansa Group will also have to reduce its original flight schedule next year. In an interview with the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" (Tuesday), Group CEO Carsten Spohr cited bottlenecks in personnel and available aircraft as the reason for this. In addition to the delivery difficulties of the aircraft manufacturers, there are now also unplanned engine overhauls for a certain engine of the Airbus A320. Over the course of the year, there was a calculated shortfall of 20 of the 450 aircraft of this type.

The company had recently announced that in 2024 it would once again be flying 95% of the pre-coronavirus year 2019. According to Spohr, this will now come to nothing: "We will adjust the flight schedule for 2024 somewhat and slightly reduce the originally planned growth. Next year, we will continue to prioritize quality over excessive growth - despite the high global demand."

Lufthansa already had to revise its flight plans in 2022 and 2023 when it restarted after coronavirus because its own team and service providers were unable to meet the requirements. Tens of thousands of flights were canceled early, and air traffic in Germany did not grow as fast as in other European countries. After the Frankfurt hub, Munich's punctuality has also recently declined, Spohr stated in the interview. The shortage of labor, which will continue to keep Germany very busy, is particularly noticeable in Munich./ceb/DP/he