German national carrier Lufthansa said today it will cut capacity growth this winter, joining airlines on both sides of the Atlantic which are reducing flights as global growth slows.
Lufthansa said it will begin to cut flights at the end of October, which starts the winter schedule.
The airline said it will focus on its most profitable routes against a backdrop of a significant fall in demand for intercontinental flights and rising fuel, personnel and technical costs.
Smaller planes will be used for North Atlantic flights from Frankfurt to Atlanta, Detroit and Vancouver, while two weekly flights from Frankfurt to New York will be cut.
It also said it will no longer fly to Rio de Janeiro and will discontinue its flights to Bogota and Tashkent from the start of next year.
In June, Lufthansa forecast 2001 operating profit of euro 700-750 million as part of a profit warning following an expensive pilots pay deal and a slowing economy.
Lufthansa reports first half results at the end of August.