Lufthansa grounds 13 aircraft over coronavirus outbreak
The flag carrier of Germany Lufthansa has grounded the same as 13 long-haul aircraft over coronavirus concerns. The move comes as the airline currently doesn't need the equivalent of 13 widebody aircraft in its fleet after its cancellation of varied flights to China.
In early February, the carrier announced a suspension of flights to mainland China due to the coronavirus epidemic until the end of the IATA winter season-March 28.
Moreover, the airline also curtailed flights to Hong Kong, operating only a number of the services it usually does.
The Lufthansa Group includes the German airline Lufthansa, along with SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings. The suspension of flights to mainland China impacts Austrian, SWISS and the main Lufthansa airline only.
Reports say the group is most probably to rotate aircraft out of service among its fleet.
“To make the most efficient use of enough time through the operational break of the damaged aircraft, necessary maintenance work will be completed, sometimes even brought forward. Furthermore, free capacities are primarily planned as operational reserves at the hubs in Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna and Zurich to stabilise the flight schedule,” the airline said in a statement.
Lufthansa operates 93 widebody aircraft, including A350s, A340s, A330s, A380s and Boeing 747s. Austrian’s fleet is smaller with six a piece of the Boeing 777 and 767, while SWISS flies a variety of 777s, A340s and A330s for long-haul operations.
