Lufthansa Group accelerates fleet reductions amidst soaring fuel prices and labor disputes

Citing the high operating cost of the CityLine fleet and ongoing labor disputes with pilot and flight attendant unions, Lufthansa Group brought forward its plans to remove the entire CityLine fleet from operation. The operational fleet currently includes a dozen Airbus A319s and 15 CRJ-900s. Additional CityLine aircraft are already in storage. The CRJs were originally slated for retirement by the end of the year.

Regarding fuel prices, Lufthansa says the “kerosene consumption of the Lufthansa Group’s passenger airlines is hedged at an above-average rate of around 80 percent based on crude oil prices. However, the remaining 20 percent must still be purchased at significantly increased market prices. This particularly expensive portion of fuel requirements will be reduced by around 10 percent.”