Eurowings goes short-haul

Long-haul flying is being sacrificed in favour of short-haul routes at Lufthansa’s low-cost carrier Eurowings as part of moves to cut costs by 15% over the next three years, the German carrier said last week. It followed a profit warning on 16 June.

Media reports noted Eurowings expanded last year as it took over large parts of Air Berlin but was making a loss in the face of competition from Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air in Europe.

Lufthansa said the Eurowings fleet would now consist only of Airbus A320 family aircraft and it would seek to boost productivity by having one air operator’s certificate in Germany from four currently, to reduce administrative and personnel costs. Eurowings’ long-haul business will also be managed by Lufthansa in future.

Lufthansa Group chief executive Carsten Spohr said management had underestimated the difficulties of integrating Air Berlin into Eurowings, adding: “They had too much to do in too little time.”

• Eurowings passengers at Munich Airport now have access to a Eurowings Lounge for the first time following the airline’s relocation to Terminal 1. The lounge, at Gate A9, is available to BIZclass guests and Miles & More status customers with a SMART fare booking.

www.eurowings.com

www.lufthansa.com

www.airberlin.com

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