04. 02. 10. - 12:15

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04. 02. 10. - 12:15

More AUA staff to go, report claims

Austrian Airlines (AUA) is planning to dismiss more employees after sacking 470 staff last year, a report has claimed.

Austrian newspaper Der Standard reports in its edition from today (Thurs) that the struggling carrier told labour market officials it was considering sacking 180 employees this and next month. The newspaper reports a further 350 AUA workers will be registered with the Labour Market Service (AMS) in March.

Ground staff will mainly be affected by the move, according to the report.

The carrier already last year registered 470 employees at the AMS.

AUA was saved from going bankrupt last year as German company Lufthansa acquired a major stake in the firm after the Austrian government contributed 500 million Euros of taxpayers’ money.

AUA officials announced after the Lufthansa takeover it would be forced to establish a harsh cost-cutting regime to get back in the black.

Earlier this week it emerged that AUA would continue its Vienna – Klagenfurt route despite its call for subsidies going unheard.

Company co-chief Andreas Bierwirth and Carinthian Freedom Party (FPK) Governor Gerhard Dörfler said after a meeting on Wednesday that the service would not be halted.

AUA recently warned it would be forced to axe its domestic routes if provincial or federal government leaders refused to subsidy its routes between Vienna and Linz, Klagenfurt, Innsbruck and Graz.

Dörfler and Upper Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) Governor Josef Pühringer warned Vienna International Airport (VIA) would suffer most if AUA abandoned the service since passengers would travel using airports in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and Munich, Germany, instead.

Bierwirth said AUA were now working on an "optimisation concept" to ensure a further service between Klagenfurt and the federal capital – while it remains unclear whether services between Vienna and the other provincial capitals will continue.

Austrian Times

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