Lufthansa puts 31,000 on shorter hours until September

German airline giant Lufthansa said Friday it would apply for government aid to place 31,000 workers on shorter hours until September, with carriers worldwide among the companies hardest hit by the coronavirus crisis.
The group "has applied for shorter hours for cabin and ground crew until 31 August" at its flagship airline, spokesman Joerg Waber told AFP.
"A solution is on the way for cockpit crew," he added.
Thirty-one thousand workers represent almost one in four staff at the wider Lufthansa group, which also includes carriers Austrian and Brussels Airlines, Eurowings and Swiss.
Some 700 of Lufthansa's 763 aircraft are "temporarily parked" following massive reductions in its flight operations over the coming weeks.