- Lufthansa has trimmed its 2026 operating profit forecast to €1.7bn to €2bn
- The group expects a full-year 2026 fuel bill of €9.3bn
- Third-quarter operating profit reached €1.4bn on revenue of €12.24bn
- Lufthansa has hedged 86pc of 2026 passenger airline fuel requirements
- Ticket prices are set to rise by double digits in 2027 as hedges expire
Lufthansa has trimmed its profit outlook due to higher aviation fuel costs. The group narrowed its 2026 operating profit forecast to €1.7bn to €2bn from an earlier range of €1.7bn to €2.2bn. Lufthansa expects its full-year 2026 fuel bill to reach €9.3bn, about €2bn higher than in 2025.
The group reported an operating profit of €1.4bn for the third quarter on revenue of €12.24bn, up 9pc and a record for the group. Net profit rose 30pc to €1.26bn. Lufthansa Cargo more than tripled operating profit to €162m and Lufthansa Technik rose 54pc to €200m. The main passenger airline brand recorded operating profit of €300m, down by a third.
Lufthansa cut 20,000 short-haul flights and grounded 27 aircraft from its CityLine subsidiary. The group hedged 86pc of 2026 passenger airline fuel requirements and over 60pc of 2027 needs. Capacity growth for 2026 is expected to be flat. Lufthansa carried 13.332m passengers in September, down 1.2pc on September 2025, and rolling annual traffic reached 133.685m.
Carsten Spohr shared “With rising revenues amid consistently high demand and strict cost discipline, we were able to more than offset the increase in fuel costs of approximately half a billion euro.”
