Lufthansa Group said on Thursday that due to rising fuel prices due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz since the US-Israeli war with Iran and the impact of strikes, the company will gradually reduce capacity and ground inefficient aircraft to cope with the resulting additional costs. Till Streichert, the group's chief financial officer, said: "Our goal is to focus more clearly on the short- and medium-haul route business and improve our competitiveness."
Lufthansa Regional Airlines (CityLine) will permanently withdraw its 27 operational passenger aircraft from its summer flight program from Saturday
According to relevant measures, from Saturday, Lufthansa Regional Airlines (CityLine)'s 27 operating passenger aircraft will permanently withdraw from the summer flight schedule.
The group said plans to ground its CityLine fleet had been made before the conflict broke out, but the fighting forced it to bring the move forward.
At the end of this summer and autumn flight schedule, Lufthansa will reduce the long-haul capacity of a total of six intercontinental aircraft.
To this end, the group will retire the last four Airbus A340-600 aircraft in October, and another two Boeing 747-400 aircraft will be grounded subsequently.
The group also said that in the winter and spring season of 2026-2027, Lufthansa's core brand's short and medium-haul routes will reduce its capacity by another five aircraft.
Lufthansa said the fuel savings brought about by the above measures will help reduce the proportion of unhedged fuel the company still needs to purchase (currently 20%) in the event of sharp rises in oil prices.
The airline group has been hit by massive pilot strikes in recent months, but last month agreed to raise wages for ground staff in Germany, resolving another potential disruption to operations.