Actually, Tuifly wanted to get back into the long-haul business in autumn 2020 and serve some routes from Düsseldorf. But now nothing will come of it. The reduction of jobs, especially among the flying personnel, is now imminent.
A spokesman for the German holiday airline confirmed the preliminary abandonment of the long-haul plans. Due to the corona crisis and the resulting unclear situation, this step is now considered to be irrelevant. But that's not all, because the current fleet of 39 Boeing 737s is to be halved.
At the same time, the Bremen, Cologne / Bonn and Münster / Osnabrück locations are being dissolved. Although some of them no longer have flight operations there, these airports are still the home base for numerous employees based on their history. According to information from the news broadcaster NTV, 700 employees are to be cut. There is no official confirmation from Tuifly for this.
"We now expect swift negotiations from the Tuifly management," says Markus Wahl, President of the Cockpit Association. “These discussions must be conducted honestly and openly without any calculation. Neither the employees nor the company can afford a hangover. " The VC is of the opinion that the start of long-haul flights is currently not possible due to the currently unclear situation in the long-haul travel market. This hits flight personnel particularly hard.
“The Corona crisis is turning the travel industry upside down and destroying the plans of companies and employees that have been built up over the years at breathtaking speed. After the debacle over Lufthansa state aid, politicians now have their next test, because the TUI Group has already received billions in tax money. It must not become normal for company taxpayers' money to pose a threat to employees, on the contrary: they have to protect social security as a valuable asset. Socially acceptable solutions are not social romance, they have to be normal in our economic order, ”appeals Daniel Flohr, UFO chairman to those responsible in companies and politics. “Our colleagues are facing a particularly tough situation because the entire industry is currently shedding jobs. Only quick and jointly supported solutions can help against existential fears ”.