This is the end of CityLine. Lufthansa liquidates its daughter company and withdraws the machines

Due to high prices of aviation fuel and additional costs resulting from employee strikes, 27 aircraft belonging to CityLine, a subsidiary of Lufthansa, will be permanently withdrawn from service from Saturday, the German carrier announced on Thursday.

The restriction will apply to older CityLine Canadair CRJ jets. According to Lufthansa, the planes are approaching the end of their technical usefulness and have relatively high operating costs.

The CityLine company is to be closed. Employees were offered alternative places of employment. The company said in a statement that its plans are part of a broader package of measures to deal with rising costs.

Lufthansa's CFO Till Streichert described these moves as inevitable. – The current crisis forces us to implement these actions earlier – he noted.

According to plans, Lufthansa also intends to ground six long-haul aircraft at the end of October. These will be four Airbus A340-600 and two Boeing 747-400 jumbo jets. Additionally, approximately five medium-range aircraft are to be withdrawn from the Lufthansa fleet.

The company cites a significant increase in aviation fuel prices and costs resulting from ongoing labor disputes as the reason for the cuts.

In spring, Lufthansa faces a series of strikes by cabin crew and pilots, which leads to widespread flight cancellations. Employee protest actions overshadowed Wednesday's celebration of the 100th anniversary of the German carrier in Frankfurt am Main. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz took part in them, emphasizing the strategic importance of Lufthansa for the German economy.

Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), warned on Thursday that Europe has about six weeks of jet fuel supplies, and if oil supplies continue to be blocked as a result of the war with Iran, flights may be canceled in the near future.

From Berlin Mateusz Obremski (PAP)

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