Chancellor Angela Merkel has told senior members of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) that the European Union plans to take away some of Lufthansa's takeoff and landing slots in Munich and Frankfurt, stressing her government won't allow that to happen, the newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Monday.
"We won't allow that to happen", Merkel said according to participants, reportedly promising "a tough fight" over the issue.
Reports that emerged in the German media earlier this month suggested that the national airline is awaiting aid from the German, Austrian, and Swiss governments. Commenting on the situation, Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr earlier in April claimed that the company is losing as much as €1 million ($1.1m) an hour due to the quarantine measures.
At the same time, the airline announced plans to offer 1,800 weekly flights to more than 130 global destinations starting at the end of June, expecting an ease in coronavirus pandemic restrictions.