The new Lufthansa cannot take off as planned

City Airlines was supposed to start this summer, but the project has now stalled.

And in 2022, the Lufthansa Group announced a new airline for 2023. City Airlines was to become the new employer of around 250 former Germanwings pilots. how aero.de It has been reported that the launch has now been postponed. There is a shortage of personnel and aircraft.

City aviation is in limbo

The brand name has been secured, the new airline has been registered, and the first plane has been secured – but it may be a while before take off. As it is now known, Lufthansa and its newest branch are currently short of the pilots and aircraft that City Airlines relies on when building its fleet. Lufthansa’s plans for City Airlines, which will likely later operate as Lufthansa City, are very ambitious. Headquartered at Munich Airport, the new subsidiary airline aims to reduce feeder traffic costs and ease the burden of Lufthansa’s main line.

Even Lufthansa’s director of human resources, Michael Niegemann, sees it as a business necessity. A new feeder airline is a prerequisite for growth on long-haul flights. In order to be able to fulfill this role, you must acquire 30 to 40 aircraft. However, it is also rare at Lufthansa. Delivery delays and production problems cause long waiting times, especially at Boeing and Airbus. To date, the fledgling airline has only one Airbus A319. This comes from the Lufthansa fleet and was previously used for the crane, but also for a short time for what were then Germanwings.

The staff shortage strikes again

As in most industries, aviation is also short on staff. The effects have already been felt. In the USA, for example, the number of near misses involving aircraft is increasing. There is also a shortage of personnel among the crew members on board. According to aero.de, Lufthansa is particularly short of pilots.

The recruitment process is going well, but Lufthansa wants to negotiate salary and working conditions first with Vereinigung Cockpit. It is said from the Lufthansa environment that a tariff will soon be imposed on city airlines. on City Aviation website Job postings have been announced and will be announced from summer 2023, but the page is blank. It is therefore not clear when the airline intends to start flight operations.

Conclusion on delays in city airlines

City Airlines will act as a feeder carrier for Lufthansa. The launch was already announced for this summer, but has now been indefinitely postponed due to a shortage of personnel and aircraft. A major setback for Lufthansa, which has high hopes for its new project.