The German pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit believes that airline management has cut too many staff in the wake of the corona pandemic. The “lack of social partnership” would now take revenge on the return to normal operations, according to the VC.

There is an acute shortage of staff at many airports and numerous airlines. This is partly due to the fact that many employees were made redundant in the course of the pandemic. In some cases, numerous employees of airlines and airports have given up their jobs due to the low income during short-time work and have reoriented themselves in other sectors.

The Cockpit Association is of the opinion that the management has made bad plans that could lead to numerous flight cancellations in the summer of 2022 due to a lack of staff. Furthermore: “This bad planning provokes massive flight cancellations, which will cause damage to the companies and their shareholders in the millions. Overall, the stability of air traffic in Germany and Europe is at risk. Passengers must be prepared for long waiting times and flight cancellations for the summer."

"It has long been clear that the radical job cuts in many areas of aviation would have a negative impact on the recovery," says VC President Stefan Herth. "Now it shows that a forward-looking human resources policy and a strong social partnership not only help the employees, but that the companies themselves also benefit directly."

Herth also criticizes the use of short-time work benefits with simultaneous job cuts and threats of dismissal: “The aim of politics is always to keep employees in the company with short-time work benefits. Apparently, the bar for the companies that were supported by the state during the crisis was too low in some places. If dismissals are threatened at the same time, state support does not offer sufficient prospects for the staff to remain loyal to their employers. In the current situation, politicians must not duck and should bring the social partners to the table to clarify how the air traffic system can be stabilized again."