Lufthansa puts 87,000 workers on reduced hours

FRANKFURT AM MAIN: European airline giant Lufthansa said Thursday it has placed 87,000 workers -- more than 60 percent of its workforce -- on government-backed shorter hours schemes, as air travel idles amid the coronavirus crisis.

Among the group's 135,000 employees, cabin crew, ground crew and for the first time ever pilots are all affected by the measure, a spokesman told AFP. Some 62,000 of the employees affected are in Germany, which doubled the number given on Friday of those would work shorter hours until September.

In addition to the flagship German brand Lufthansa and low-cost arm Eurowings, the group includes smaller carriers such as Austrian, Brussels Airlines and Swiss.