Employment to take off
January 2, 2011
Lufthansa CEO Christoph Franz said the airline was looking to create around 4,000 new jobs in Germany to meet the needs of projected growth in 2011.
"With increasing numbers of passengers, we will need more staff in our aircrafts and on the ground," he said in an interview published on the website of the German daily Bild. "This is a good example of how aviation can function as a motor for employment."
Franz, who took over as CEO on January 1, said Lufthansa was looking to hire 2,200 new flight attendants to be based at the Munich and Frankfurt hubs, as well as 900 ground staff, 270 pilots for its pilot training program and over 300 new trainees.
Franz said the projected increase was due to the expansion of seating capacity in Lufthansa's regional aircrafts, including the new Airbus A380 models.
At present, Europe's largest air carrier employs 65,000 people in Germany and 117,000 around the world.
Franz, 50, takes over as Lufthansa CEO for Wolfgang Mayrhuber, who transformed the airline to a profitable concern in his seven years at the helm.
Author: Gabriel Borrud (Reuters, dpa)
Editor: Sean Sinico