Lufthansa puts up outsourcing unit in Alabang

Germany’s Lufthansa airline group continued to bet on the Philippines as it opened Friday an outsourcing unit in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

The company, called Lufthansa Services Philippines, would create about 440 jobs by mid-2018.

These would mainly be experienced “consultants” providing services in the areas of financial and revenue accounting, human resources and procurement, and customer service for Lufthansa passengers.

“Manila is now an attractive business location due to its excellent academic educational system, communication infrastructure and extensive business know-how in the service industry,” Kay Kratky, a member of the Lufthansa German Airlines Board and CEO of Austrian Airlines, said.

“Lufthansa Group is strengthening its footprint in Southeast Asia and particularly in the Philippines,” he added.

Astrid Hartmann, who heads Lufthansa Global Business Services, said the Philippines edged out their initial choice, India, because of the country’s high-level of education, English language proficiency and competitive cost-structure.

She said the Alabang facility could easily handle up to 800 employees should they decide to expand in the future.

Lufthansa Services Philippines is a venture between Lufthansa Global Business Services and Lufthansa InTouch.

Sharmini Krishnan, managing director of Lufthansa Service Philippines, said 250 consultants were needed by LGBS, mainly for financial and accounting services.  Another 190 consultants would be tapped under Lufthansa InTouch.  They will provide services to Lufthansa and other airlines within the group in areas like ticket rebooking, making reservations and process baggage inquiries.

Once the Service Center is built to its full potential, most services will be provided on a 24-hour, 365-day a year basis, the company said.

“We are also looking into providing comprehensive accounting services and other business process scope in the future by recruiting highly skilled consultants catering to different demographics,” Krishnan said.

In total, Lufthansa Group flies to 301 destinations in Europe.   —MIGUEL R. CAMUS