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Berlin - Air Berlin said Monday it is to lay off 200 staff as the problems mount at Germany's number-two airline.
In recent months it had terminated 900 positions. Chief executive Wolfgang Prock-Schauer has conceded the savings were not enough to bring the airline back into the black. Etihad Airways owns about 30% of Air Berlin, which mainly serves European destinations.
A company spokesperson said Prock-Schauer had announced the end for 200 further jobs, mainly in office positions and among airport ground staff, in an internal newsletter for staff. He described these as "localized adjustments."
The spokesman said it was hoped the jobs could be cut in the course of next year without the need for sackings.
Germany companies often use natural fluctuation or labour buyouts to reduce their workforces, because of legal restrictions on firings.
June financial figures from the airline, which is much smaller than German flag carrier Lufthansa, showed it had a workforce of 8 696 persons.
Separately, Prock-Schauer told a business audience in Berlin on Monday that the airline had to become more efficient, but charged that it was hampered by German labour laws that add to the cost of restructuring.
"We are trying to make savings, but there are a lot of opponents," he said.
