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Lufthansa Pulls CityLine Fleet, Speeds Wider Cuts on Fuel Spike

The move targets lower fuel burn to shrink Lufthansa’s unhedged exposure.

Overview

  • Lufthansa, which announced the plan Thursday, will remove CityLine’s 27 aircraft from the schedule starting Saturday, halting the regional unit’s flying.
  • The airline cited kerosene prices more than double pre‑Iran war levels and five days of back‑to‑back pilot and cabin crew strikes this week as the trigger.
  • After the summer schedule, it will retire four Airbus A340‑600s and ground two Boeing 747‑400s, a change that will also cut belly cargo space on long‑haul routes.
  • For the 2026/27 winter schedule, Lufthansa will remove five more short‑ and medium‑haul aircraft, shift nine A350‑900s to Discover Airlines, and lower fuel risk by trimming the roughly 20% it buys at market rates by about 10%.
  • The company says CityLine staff have been offered transfers within the group and it will negotiate a social plan with employee representatives.