Spohr: “In the second phase there will probably be an option between testing or proof of vaccination.”
According to the boss of AUA parent Lufthansa, long-haul flights will only be possible in the future with a negative corona test or vaccination certificate. “Personally, I am assuming that in future every passenger on intercontinental flights on certain routes will either be tested or vaccinated,” said Carsten Spohr of the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag. A compulsory vaccination, as planned by the Australian airline Quantas, is not planned at Lufthansa.
In a first phase, the number of routes with mandatory quick tests will initially increase. “In the second phase there will probably be an option between testing or proof of vaccination,” Spohr was quoted as saying. If the world population has sufficient immunity, the vaccination certificate would then be superfluous.
The Lufthansa boss does not expect that there will be a uniform line for the entire global air traffic. “Some countries are already making tests mandatory for all passengers, while others continue to rely on quarantine.” In any case, a European solution with the stipulation “test instead of quarantine” would be desirable.
Like all aviation, Lufthansa is suffering from the travel restrictions in the pandemic. The airline was saved from collapse with a billion dollar rescue package from the German state. The AUA received aid from the Austrian federal government.
29,000 employees leave the group
“In December we had less than ten percent of the passengers compared to the previous year, but still ten billion euros available liquidity at the end of the year,” said Spohr. “This is primarily due to the fact that we were able to reduce costs significantly faster than planned”. The manager pointed out that 29,000 employees will leave the group by the end of the year, about one in five. “So that as few employees as possible have to leave the company, we strive for intelligent part-time models.”
Distress sales are currently not an issue. “There are no plans to sell Austrian Airlines,” said Spohr. “With around ten billion euros in liquidity and sufficient balance sheet reserves, I can rule out over-indebtedness from today's perspective.”
Spohr does not expect the number of passengers to return to the level before the pandemic in the coming years. “We are realistically assuming that we will have up to ten percent fewer passengers in the middle of the decade than in the pre-Corona period.”
