Acute staff shortages have forced Germany’s flag carrier airline, Lufthansa, to announce yet another wave of cancellations. The affected flights were scheduled to take place in July and August within Germany and to other short-haul destinations. 

Lufthansa cancels more flights within Germany and Europe

As airlines and airports across the continent continue to struggle with crippling staff shortages and the surging post-COVID demand for travel, Lufthansa has announced that it will cancel a further 2.000 flights this summer, primarily from its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich.

A spokesperson for the airline told Handelsblatt that the cancellations would primarily affect domestic routes and other short-haul flights to European destinations. Most of the routes are covered by “good alternatives”, it was said, and the spokesperson emphasised that flights to popular holiday destinations would only be cancelled in exceptional situations.

Main rush at Frankfurt airport expected on July 22 - 24

The move marks the third time this summer that Lufthansa has been forced to announce mass flight cancellations, as it attempts to stabilise its flight plan amid a crippling shortage of workers. The airline initially cancelled almost 3.000 flights in July and August, followed by a further 770 connections for the week up to July 14.

The chaotic picture at airports in Germany is likely to intensify in the coming weeks. At Frankfurt, Germany’s largest airport, the summer peak has not yet been reached, with operator Fraport, the federal police and Lufthansa all expecting a rush for the weekend July 22 to 24, when the school holidays in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate begin.

The surge in passenger numbers will add pressure on an already overloaded airport. Recent figures have shown that more than two-thirds of flights departing from Frankfurt in July so far have been delayed, and 8 percent have been cancelled - the second-highest proportion in Europe.