German mega carrier Lufthansa has terminated the services of 103 India-based flight attendants after they allegedly sought ''job assurance'' from the management while the German airlines group had offered them leave without pay option for two years, sources close to the developments said.

These employees had been working on a fixed-term contract with the airline and some of them were with the carrier for more than 15 years, the sources added.

In pre-pandemic times, it used to have 56 weekly flights between its German hubs of Frankfurt and Munich and four Indian metros — a number that is now down to 10.

In a statement to PTI, a Lufthansa spokesperson said that severe financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic leaves it with no choice but to restructure the airline and as part of that ''it will not be extending the fixed-term employment contracts of its Delhi-based flight attendants''. However, Lufthansa did not provide details on the number of flight attendants who have been terminated.

According to the spokesperson, Indian cabin crew with unlimited contracts remain unaffected from restructuring as it ''was able to reach individual agreements with these flight attendants''.

''Lufthansa regrets to confirm that it will not be extending the fixed-term employment contracts of its Delhi-based flight attendants. The severe financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic leaves Lufthansa no choice but to restructure the airline. This includes personnel-related measures in Germany and Europe as well as in key international markets like India,'' the statement said.

The sources, however, alleged that Lufthansa terminated the services of 103 Delhi-based flight attendants on fixed-term contracts overnight, without serving any prior notice to them, citing the coronavirus pandemic.

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