Lufthansa to cut 4,000 jobs as Germany’s economic slump deepens

German airline giant Lufthansa announced on Monday it will shed about 4,000 jobs nearly four percent of its global workforce stating the economic slowdown weighing on Europe’s largest economy.

The company said most of the reductions will occur in Germany by 2030 and will primarily affect administrative roles rather than frontline operations. Lufthansa employs roughly 103,000 people across its group, which includes Eurowings, Austrian Airlines, Swiss, Brussels Airlines and the recently acquired Italian carrier ITA Airways.

Germany is grappling with a second consecutive year of recession, rising unemployment at a 10-year high, and mounting pressure from Chinese competition, soaring energy costs, and a sluggish embrace of new technologies.

Lufthansa’s move follows a similar announcement by industrial heavyweight Bosch, which last week revealed plans to cut 13,000 jobs, or three percent of its global staff.

“The Lufthansa Group is reviewing which activities will no longer be necessary in the future, for example due to duplication of work,” the airline said in a statement. “In particular, the profound changes brought about by digitalization and the increased use of artificial intelligence will lead to greater efficiency in many areas and processes.”

Alongside the restructuring, Lufthansa set new financial targets for 2028–2030, including an adjusted operating margin of eight to ten percent.