BRUSSELS — Lufthansa Group could temporarily ground between 20 and 40 of its planes due to the jet fuel crisis caused by the war in the Middle East, German media reported.
According to Spiegel and Handelsblatt, Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr presented two packages at an internal company meeting in response to the recent record increase in the price of fuel, which is the highest operating cost for airlines.
Depending on how much worse the situation gets, the airline would temporarily ground either 20 or 40 planes, which would reduce the group’s seating capacity by 2.5 or 5 percent.
In a written response, the airline group told POLITICO it was “unable to comment further on this matter.”
During the meeting, Spohr reportedly said that Lufthansa budgeted €7 billion for fuel costs in 2026.
The current jet fuel price increase would raise this figure by an additional €1.4 billion. “That’s significant,” Spohr said during the meeting, according to Spiegel.
The airline on Tuesday released news on its summer offerings, including “around 1,600 additional flights planned for summer 2026 from the hubs.”
However, the group added in a press release that “the airlines of the Lufthansa Group are currently developing and evaluating scenarios to enable a rapid response to changes in the market environment, for example through the cancellation of unprofitable routes or the early retirement of older aircraft.”
Since the war started, the price of jet fuel in Europe has more than doubled to record highs above $1,700 per metric ton, though it has dropped slightly in the last week.
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