German airline Lufthansa plans to cut 22,000 jobs as it struggles to deal with the slump in air travel caused by the pandemic.

The airline predicted a sluggish recovery in demand and expected to have about 100 fewer aircraft after the crisis.

Half of the jobs would be cut in Germany, Lufthansa said.  Lufthansa employs over 135,000 people worldwide and about half of them are in Germany.

The airline also added that it hoped to reduce redundancies through short-time working and crisis agreements.

"The aim is to pave the way for the preservation of as many jobs as possible in the Lufthansa Group," the company said.

"Without a significant reduction in personnel costs during the crisis, we will miss the opportunity of a better restart from the crisis and risk that the Lufthansa Group will emerge from the crisis significantly weakened," said Lufthansa labor director Michael Niggemann said.