Eyeing a strong post-pandemic recovery period, Lufthansa has big plans when it comes to increasing its staffing levels over the coming years. Indeed, its Chief Executive Officer, Carsten Spohr, has revealed that the German flag carrier wants to hire as many as 20,000 new employees before 2023 reaches its conclusion.
Looking to build on present strength
Around a month ago, Lufthansa was able to triumphantly announce that, after two years of coronavirus-related uncertainty, its operations had finally returned to profitability. Specifically, it registered a net profit of €259 million ($263.7 million) for the second quarter of 2022, compared to a €756 million loss in the same period in 2021. Its load factor also exceeded 80%, bringing it close to pre-pandemic levels.
Following this strong second quarter, it seems that the German flag carrier has been able to continue riding its wave of positivity throughout the summer. Indeed, despite a range of challenges facing aviation in the region, Reuters notes that CEO Carsten Spohr informed the media on Monday that Lufthansa had also enjoyed a ‘fantastic’ July and August. Looking to build on this strength, he added:
“”We have no plans to leave the profitability we achieved in the second quarter.”
Growing the workforce once again
With this sustained recovery in mind, Carsten Spohr added that Lufthansa wants to hire almost 20,000 new employees by the end of 2023. This will go some way to helping offset the deficit that it suffered due to the coronavirus pandemic. Indeed, Reuters notes that its staffing levels fell from almost 140,000 to just 100,000 as the impacts of COVID-19 took hold on European commercial aviation.
This figure allows Lufthansa to both plan for growth, and offset employees who are leaving the company. The former of these will represent a larger proportion of the intake, with a spokesperson for the German flag carrier having told Reuters that around 12,000 of the new employees will be filling new roles. Meanwhile, around 8,000 will replace those who are departing the Star Alliance founding member.
Lufthansa will likely be hoping that its hiring drive will put an end to operational problems caused by understaffing. These are reported to have been a consequence of letting too many employees go amid the pandemic’s most challenging months. Spohr is also wary of the prospects of a recession hitting Germany next year, and thus doesn’t expect pre-pandemic capacity to return in 2023.
A booming job market
As it happens, Lufthansa is not the only European carrier looking to grow its workforce during the region’s period of sustained post-pandemic recovery. Indeed, in line with its fleet expansion goals, Icelandic carrier PLAY is also looking to double its flight crew pool, by hiring hire 55 pilots and 105 flight attendants. This extra staffing will reportedly also increase its chances of accessing new markets.