German airline giant Lufthansa said Wednesday it would ground 150 of its more than 750 planes worldwide, days after announcing a slimmed-down timetable over the effects of the novel coronavirus.
“25 long-haul aircraft and 125 short- and medium-haul aircraft” will no longer fly, a spokesman for the group also including carriers Eurowings, Austrian and Swiss told AFP.
Shares in Lufthansa have plunged in recent days as the likely impact of the COVID-19 disease on the aviation sector in particular has become clearer.
The stock was up slightly in afternoon trading in Frankfurt, adding 0.6 per cent to trade at 11.98 euros (USD 13.29) just after 3:30 pm (1430 GMT) but slightly underperforming the DAX blue-chip index.
