Lufthansa trims summer schedule

Lufthansa is cutting 20,000 short-haul flights from its summer schedule through October after jet fuel prices doubled during the Iran conflict. (newsroom.lufthansagroup.com) The Lufthansa Group said the cuts will save about 40,000 metric tons of jet fuel and trim capacity by less than 1% in available seat-kilometers, the industry measure of seats flown over distance. (newsroom.lufthansagroup.com) The reductions are centered on short-haul routes touching the group’s six hubs — Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna, Brussels and Rome — with Lufthansa saying it is removing “unprofitable” flying from the network. (newsroom.lufthansagroup.com) Lufthansa said short-term adjustments through May 31 are already in place, and revised schedules for June onward will be published in late April. The company also said its jet fuel supply is secured for the coming weeks. (newsroom.lufthansagroup.com) The airline’s move lands as carriers across Europe face higher fuel bills and worries about supply after the war disrupted production and shipping routes tied to the Middle East. The New York Times reported global jet fuel prices had jumped more than 70% since the war began. (nytimes.com) Associated Press reported that the conflict has deepened concern that some countries could run low on jet fuel, adding pressure beyond higher prices alone. Lufthansa is one of Europe’s biggest airline groups, so even a sub-1% capacity cut removes a large number of flights. (apnews.com) Some of the canceled flying is also tied to Lufthansa’s decision last week to shut down CityLine, its regional subsidiary that operates short-haul service in Europe. Euronews said that closure will account for part of the schedule reduction. (euronews.com) This is a reversal from Lufthansa’s earlier summer 2026 plan, which called for more than 14,000 weekly flights to 330 destinations across roughly 100 countries. The airline is now preserving fuel by cutting back the shortest, least profitable parts of that network. (traveldailynews.com, newsroom.lufthansagroup.com) For travelers, the immediate effect is fewer short-haul options this summer, especially around Lufthansa’s main hubs, with more timetable changes expected before the revised June schedules are posted. (newsroom.lufthansagroup.com, apnews.com)