The outlook for the aviation industry has deteriorated again. The reason is the increase in the number of cases of coronavirus infection and the renewal of travel restrictions, said Michael Schöllhorn, the operations director of the European Airbus Group.
Due to the restrictions and fears of passengers about the infection with the new coronavirus, air traffic is currently only a fraction of the normal level. This reduces the demand for aircraft and slows down manufacturers' deliveries. Airbus has said it must cut 15,000 jobs worldwide.
In an interview with the German economic daily Handelsblatt, Schöllhorn said the situation was worse in early autumn than Airbus had expected in the summer. He added that the planned loss of 15,000 jobs is a minimum.
Some Airbus plants were underutilized before the pandemic. Therefore, the unions are now worried that the group's management will decide to close some such plants completely. Schöllhorn ruled out such a possibility, at least for Germany.