FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Lufthansa has criticized the lack of innovation in aircraft handling. The airline is particularly critical of Munich Airport, which has also failed to find new staff quickly enough after the Corona crisis.

The airport company is not making the same progress in recruiting staff as Fraport in Frankfurt, criticized the airline's head of organization, Karl Brandes, on Tuesday evening. Lufthansa was aware of the problems in recruiting new staff from its own experience. It had also tried to support its partners at the hubs in recruiting and deploying staff. This will also be influenced in Munich by the change of handling service provider planned for the spring.

The processes for aircraft handling must be modernized at all airports, demanded Brandes, who has experience as a pilot. This involves, for example, the rapid provision of passenger stairs, refueling or the loading of baggage and catering. "The whole topic of innovation must be brought to the forefront. Handling today is like it was 30 years ago." Digitalization, automation and artificial intelligence must be driven forward to counteract the shortage of workers.

Munich Airport CEO Jost Lammers rejected the criticism. "We are working intensively and successfully in a very close partnership with Lufthansa, both in the recruitment of personnel and in various innovation and optimization projects," he said according to the press release. Last year alone, more than 1,000 new employees were hired, including several hundred at the handling subsidiary AeroGround. Lammers referred to innovative projects such as the use of CT scanners for passenger screening or biometric technology for boarding pass control in Terminal 2.

Munich is Lufthansa's second-largest hub. For years, Lufthansa managers had criticized its larger Frankfurt base for its lack of punctuality and efficiency. However, the company believes that progress has recently been made here.

According to its airline boss Jens Ritter, Lufthansa is also unable to grow as much as it would like because of bottlenecks on the ground. This and the continuing shortage of new aircraft are meeting with very strong demand, particularly for long-haul travel. Lufthansa will continue to grow, but based on the experience of previous years will not overload the overall system./ceb/DP/jha