airberlin strives to improve earnings by EUR 200 million

With "Shape and Size", airberlin's Board has launched a comprehensive program to increase the company's efficiency and productivity. The core of the program announced in August involves improving the processes and optimizing the entire organization of the company. In more than 30 work groups, senior executives, under guidance of the Board, have identified targets which have potential to bring about and secure profitability and competitiveness. The main focus lies on process organization, marketing and distribution, cost reduction, flight routing and maintenance. A substantial contribution should result from an optimization of the flight network and the fleet structure. By the summer of 2012, airberlin aims to reduce its current fleet of 170 aircraft to 152 aircraft, i.e. a reduction of 10 percent. In this context, flight performance would only be lowered by four percent, and the productivity per aircraft would therefore be increased by approximately 200 hours per year. The "Shape & Size" program strives to improve earnings by a total of approximately EUR 200 million.As Hartmut Mehdorn stated: "We are currently operating in a turbulent environment, both in terms of competition and economic conditions. In order to secure the company's future for the long term and to restore airberlin's former strength, every single company division will be scrutinized over the coming months. However, we will not economize with respect to our clients, our service, and our safety."

According to airberlin's CEO, an intensive scrutiny of the corporate strategy did not reveal any grounds for changing the current business model. airberlin stands for tourism and scheduled flights, will continue to focus on the expansion of its four hubs, in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Palma de Mallorca and Vienna, and will become a full member of the global airline alliance, oneworld®, in the spring of 2012, emphasized Mehdorn.

As the project progresses, airberlin will provide more detailed information on the implementation of individual measures.