Lufthansa plans to cut 3,500 jobs to decrease costsMay 3, 2012 - 16:31 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - German airline Lufthansa is to cut 3,500 jobs as it seeks to cut its administrative costs by a quarter, BBC News reported. The airline will cut those full-time jobs in administrative departments worldwide over the next few years. The news came as its loss narrowed to 379m euros ($498m; £308m) in the first quarter, from a loss of 507m euros in same period of 2011. Lufthansa blamed higher fees and taxes, even as quarterly revenues rose by 5.6% to a record 6.6bn euros. These included an air traffic tax imposed in Germany and Austria and the costs of carbon emissions trading in Germany. "Higher taxes, fees and charges put a massive strain on our quarterly result," said Christoph Franz, chairman of Lufthansa AG. "We cannot wait until politicians also recognise the damage that one-sided taxes and charges do to aviation and to Europe's reputation as a place to do business." Lufthansa said that fuel costs had risen by 304m euros in the past year. Last month, Lufthansa completed the sale of loss-making UK airline BMI to IAG, the company that owns British Airways and Iberia. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Ucom Celebrates Telecommunication Day May 17 commemorates the founding of the International Telecommunication Union on May 17, 1865. Armenian, Azerbaijani heads of parliament meet in Switzerland President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova. Border residents overnight on highway to protest Armenia’s Residents of Kirants continue to express outrage over the government’s decision to cede land to Azerbaijan. Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. |