Air traffic: Lufthansa promises improvement – 200 million against delays

Lufthansa, which has been plagued by delays and breakdowns in recent years, wants to become first-class again with more staff and a package of measures. “We want to be one of the best-known airline brands in the world and want to develop Lufthansa into the premium brand and airline in Europe, and of course be profitable again,” said Jens Ritter, head of Lufthansa Airlines. “Despite many positive developments in the past few months, we are not there yet,” admitted the manager in Munich. A large bundle of 600 measures is intended to remedy the situation. This includes more staff on the ground, less busy flight schedules, more capacity for check-in, baggage handling and security controls.

200 million investment for better service

Lufthansa Airlines is the core company of the group. In both Frankfurt and Munich there have been repeated problems and corresponding annoyances with customers in the recent past. There were long queues and waiting times at Munich Airport during Oktoberfest. According to Ritter, Lufthansa is investing a total of 200 million euros at the two hubs in Frankfurt and Munich to ensure smooth operations and improve service.

More time for getting out, getting on and changing trains

According to Ritter, Lufthansa has planned blanket de-icing times for each individual aircraft this winter. The company is also preparing extensively for the peak summer flight season. “We are increasing the transfer times for our passengers by ten minutes per connection and thus enable our guests to transfer more conveniently and reliably,” said Ritter. “We are increasing ground times for all of our aircraft by up to ten minutes, giving more time for aircraft cleaning, refueling, loading, unloading and of course the boarding and deplaning process.” For “particularly critical” flights, Lufthansa extends flight times by up to thirty minutes.

Slower growth in flight offerings

According to Ritter, this year Lufthansa is also reducing its original plans to expand its flight offerings. “In 2025 we plan to have around 90 percent of the 2019 offering.” With a 3.5 percent increase compared to 2024, this is very measured and moderate growth.

There is still a lack of new aircraft

The company continues to suffer from a lack of new aircraft due to delayed deliveries from the two aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Airbus, although the problems at Boeing are much more serious. Lufthansa is temporarily relocating six Airbus A350s to Frankfurt. “We are massively lacking modern aircraft in Frankfurt due to Boeing’s well-known delivery problems,” said the Lufthansa Airlines boss.

It’s not just about more comfort for passengers: older machines are more maintenance-intensive, more susceptible to repairs and more expensive to operate. In this respect, the new aircraft should also help Lufthansa to achieve better business figures.