Lufthansa to cut 4,000 jobs, limited impact on Brussels Airlines

Lufthansa, the German airline group and parent company of Brussels Airlines, plans to cut around 4,000 administrative jobs by 2030. Most of the reductions will take place in Germany, largely at the group’s Frankfurt headquarters, and are expected to come through natural attrition.

The move was announced during the company’s investor day in Munich, where Lufthansa set out its financial targets for the coming years. The airline said the cuts are linked to increasing automation, digitalisation and consolidation of processes.

Brussels Airlines expects only a “limited impact” from the restructuring but could not provide further details.

Lufthansa intends to manage its hub airlines (Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and ITA Airway) ​ more centrally, including the coordination of short- and medium-haul networks. The group also plans to add 230 new aircraft by 2030, including 100 for long-haul routes.

Alongside changes at Eurowings, Lufthansa Technik and Lufthansa Cargo, the group has raised its profit margin target. It now aims for an adjusted operating margin of 8-10 per cent between 2028 and 2030, compared with 4 per cent in 2024.

Lufthansa employed around 103,000 people at the end of June, including nearly 3,800 at Brussels Airlines. The group carried 131 million passengers last year.

^{© BELGA PHOTO JOHN THYS}