The head of Lufthansa Technik is the latest executive in the aircraft and engine aftermarket to identify the continuing shortage of skilled personnel as the greatest current challenge in coping with customer demand. “At the beginning of the financial year [2022], we did not have enough work for all our employees, and at its end, not enough employees for all the work that needed to be done,” Lufthansa Technik CEO Soeren Stark told reporters during the company’s annual press briefing on Tuesday.
The maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) unit of Lufthansa Group laid off thousands of employees during the Covid-19 pandemic as work came to a standstill and bankruptcy loomed. In hindsight, letting these workers go might not have been the right decision, Stark acknowledged. “You have to think twice before you lay off people because in our sector it takes a long time to qualify employees and even more time to gain experience. This is my biggest learning from the Covid crisis, and I hope I still bear that in mind when we face the next big crisis,” he said.
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