BERLIN - The worst is over for German airline Lufthansa after staff shortages caused flight chaos over the summer, but levels of sick leave remain challenging, according to board member Christina Foerster, who spoke to newspapers in the Funke Media group.
Airlines across Europe have struggled to cope with a rebound in holiday season demand after the COVID-19 epidemic stopped much travel. Last minute cancellations caused airports to have huge queues due to staff shortages.
The low point has passed. Foerster told Funke in an interview published on Sunday that flight operations are largely stabilized.
Foerster said that this summer we are dealing with a level of sick leave that is not easy to offset, despite the fact that the situation remains challenging.
She said most of the flight cancellations affect domestic routes where there are alternatives. She said that the situation would only improve significantly with the departure of the winter flight schedule at the end of October.
Lufthansa said on Thursday that it expected short-haul flights in Europe to drive growth at its passenger airlines this year and forecast a return to group operating profit for the full year.