Lufthansa says to freeze hiring, cut costs over coronavirus

FRANKFURT: German airline Lufthansa said Wednesday it would freeze new hires and use unpaid leave and additional short-time work to cut costs to help cushion the economic impact of the novel coronavirus.

"To counteract the economic impact of the coronavirus of the early stage," the group, which also owns carriers Austrian and Swiss, said in a statement that "all new hires... will be reassessed, suspended or deferred".

Employees would be offered unpaid leave and more part-time work and the group would also seek to cut administrative costs, it said.