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Berlin Brandenburg Airport has decided to reduce work hours for around 2,200 of its employees to avoid layoffs during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Executive Board of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg (FBB) board finalised the agreement to reduce the working hours with the Works Council on 24 March. The airport has applied to the responsible employment office.
Berlin Brandenburg Airport stated that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused a decrease in flight operations by over 90% in Berlin.
It was announced that the legislative short-time allowance would be supported by the FBB, which would provide up to 80% of workers’ net pay. The amount will be raised to 90% for single parents.
This will be implemented once the employment office approves the submitted application.
FBB Works Council chairwoman Claudia Heinrich said: “Our common aims are protecting our colleagues’ against the virus in these difficult times, providing them with financial security and preserving jobs for the future.”
Berlin Brandenburg Airport CEO Ing Engelbert Lütke Daldrup added: “With the company agreement signed today, we have agreed a good, solid framework for the near future. We have to be able to act flexibly at the moment and we are tasked ensuring stable basic services for the capital region in the coming weeks and months.
“As one of the most important infrastructures, we as airport operators will have a lot of responsibility when the economy slowly starts to bounce back after this major global crisis”.
Mexican airport operator Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP) also launched its contingency plan amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The company has planned to implement a service cost-control plan by reducing the energy, security services, cleaning and maintenance use according to passenger traffic.
