Lufthansa and Eurowings cancel hundreds of flights in July due to staff shortage

The airline industry’s staffing problems reveal the challenges it faces in its recovery.

After a wave of cancellations due to staffing problems, Lufthansa and Eurowings canceled nearly 1,000 flights in their July schedule due to staffing shortages in the airline industry, highlighting the challenges European aviation is facing as it struggles to recover from the coronavirus crisis.

According to German press and international agencies, Germany’s leading carrier has canceled more than 900 domestic and short-haul flights in Europe, including those of its subsidiary Eurowings. The canceled flights, which were scheduled to take place on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, represent about five percent of the airline’s scheduled capacity for the weekend.

The airline contemplates the possibility that the cancellations will affect Spain, but will offer alternatives to reach the country with other flights, a spokesman told EFE.

At the moment, Lufthansa has not provided specific figures for the routes to Spain it plans to suspend.

The cancellations affect flights on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, which account for 5 percent of the weekend’s capacity.

Several airlines and airports in Europe are currently facing staff shortages because they cut many jobs during the pandemic due to severe flight restrictions.

Lufthansa added that airport infrastructure and security and passenger screening services have not yet returned to normal, pre-pandemic 2019 levels, and therefore cannot offer all flights.