After ITA takeover: Lufthansa sees opportunities, especially outside of Germany

Lufthansa is increasingly moving its business abroad. In the current year, the group will achieve less than 20 percent of its sales on the German home market, says CEO Carsten Spohr. The proceeds from the largest air traffic group in Europe are expected to grow by around 14 percent to around 43 billion euros in 2025, including the new Italian participation ITA.

On the home market, which currently stands for a quarter of the turnover, high state-consumed costs and unions to strike still make it difficult for the crane group.

The Lufthansa boss criticizes the youngest Verdi strikes in the public service, which were extended to the airports in Cologne, Düsseldorf and Munich. Air traffic actually has nothing to do with it. “Our industry is instrumentalized for industrial action.” A revised right to strike is just as overdue as concrete relief for taxes and fees.

Lufthansa can grow in other regions

“If nothing happens, Germany is left behind in a European comparison,” says Spohr. This first applies to economically important regions such as Paderborn or Friedrichshafen, which are increasingly tied up internationally.

As an export nation, Germany cannot afford this and has to reflect on its strengths. “This is manageable for Lufthansa, then we grow somewhere else.” But of course the German market remains relevant.

Ita fast in the profit zone

The board promises additional thrust from the takeover of the Italian state airline ITA. “It is the biggest airline takeover in our history.” Just a few weeks ago, Lufthansa had entered ITA with a minority share of 41 percent a few weeks ago and wants to swallow the successor to the former Alitalia completely in the coming years. ITA should contribute to the group result in the current year.

Ready for further takeovers

Spohr sees his company well positioned for further takeovers. The former disadvantage of a missing metropolis has long since turned into an advantage because the group could easily integrate different companies than the competition.

The MDAX group operates Airlines in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and has also been strongly represented in Italy since the ITA takeover. This is also closely observed in Lisbon and Madrid, says Spohr. There, the Airlines Tap and Air Europa are looking for a connection to larger airline groups. The EU Commission must facilitate the acquisitions of smaller companies, the manager demanded.

Strikes, higher costs and lower ticket prices have a bit of a drop in profit in Lufthansa 2024. The core brand Lufthansa Airlines even wrote red numbers in day -to -day business, while all other companies including technology and the freight daughter Lufthansa Cargo made profits.

The operational profit before special items therefore collapsed over one billion to around 1.65 billion euros across the group. In the good -running year 2025, the board aims for a “clear” improvement.

Refurbishment of the core brand

In particular, the core brand Lufthansa should go better again. Last year Spohr had already presented a renovation program that is due to raise the operational profit by 2.5 billion euros by 2028. There should be the first effects in 2025. In the coming year he wants to improve by 1.5 billion.

With a view to the United States’ trade strategy under President Donald Trump, the Lufthansa boss sees risks to the industry. Airplanes and parts could be more expensive, the freight business could go back. “Customs are detrimental to world trade,” he says. Encounters across the Atlantic, which enable air traffic, are all the more important.

According to his assessment, the continuing problems in Asia traffic should only change if European airlines could also use Russian airspace again. The competitors from China and the Arab world are currently playing their advantage that they can fly shorter routes.

Offer less than before Corona

Last year, the group airlines such as Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian and Eurowings promoted 131 million passengers and thus seven percent more than a year earlier. The bottom line was that there was a surplus of almost 1.4 billion euros across the group, 18 percent less than in the previous year. The shareholders should still receive an unchanged dividend of 30 cents per share.

Lufthansa is still a long way away from its flight offer from the time before corona pandemic. In 2024, the capacity offered was still around nine percent lower than in 2019. In the current year, Spohr plans to expand the seat range by around four percent – which would then correspond to about 95 percent of the pre -crises level.