Frankfurt (dpa) - The German government must extend its furlough scheme for struggling companies in order to save tens of thousands of jobs in the air travel industry, the ADV airports association warned on Tuesday.

"We are at red alert for air transport workers," said ADV managing director Ralph Beisel.

He called for an extension of the government's short-time work scheme, which covers out-of-work employees wages on behalf of companies in order to prevent lay-offs, noting that air travel would not return to pre-coronavirus levels until 2023 at best.

Despite an increase in flights in recent weeks, traffic at German airports is still down by about 85 per cent compared to levels seen before the crisis hit.

Around 80 per cent of airport staff in the country are currently signed up for the short-time work scheme.

The scheme, first introduced by Germany in response to the financial crisis a decade ago, was brought back in March after the pandemic forced sweeping closures and restrictions. It is initially set to remain in place for a maximum period of 12 months.

German airports employ around 180,000 people, according to the ADV.

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