Lufthansa to Slash Fleet, Shutter Germanwings in Virus Response
- Permanent cuts made with travel rebound seen taking years
- Airline in talks with German, Austrian governments over aid
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Deutsche Lufthansa AG is scaling back its fleet and closing the Germanwings discount arm to resize the airline group for depressed levels of travel that could last for years after the coronavirus crisis passes.
The German flag-carrier will reduce capacity at its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich, retiring 18 wide-body aircraft including six Airbus SE A380 double-deckers that were scheduled for sale. It will also take 11 A320 single-aisle jets out of service.