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GERMANY’s national airline, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, announced the cancellation of 20,000 scheduled flights. This decision was made in response to geopolitical conditions in the Middle East that have affected international oil market prices, forcing the company to re-evaluate its short-haul flight routes for the upcoming summer season.
This efficiency measure aims to reduce the company’s operational costs due to rising aviation fuel prices. Despite the schedule reduction, management ensures that long-haul flights will continue to operate normally to maintain the smooth movement of international passengers and trade flows.
The conflict involving Iran since late February 2026 has impacted global energy supplies. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz Sea lane has caused the price of jet fuel to more than double, from around US$99 (IDR1.7 million) per barrel to over US$200 (IDR3.44 million) in a matter of weeks.
“This price increase is not a short-term problem. The energy crisis caused by this war could affect prices for months or even years to come,” said European Union Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen.
This situation has forced Lufthansa to adjust its operational strategy to address rising fuel costs. Currently, fuel costs are the company’s largest operational expense, as every increase in crude oil prices automatically increases the airline’s annual expenses by tens of millions of euros.
As a result of these market conditions, Lufthansa management has decided to eliminate approximately 20,000 short-haul flights from the summer to October 2026. This policy aims to save approximately 40,000 metric tons of jet fuel by rearranging flight frequencies at its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich.
This schedule change includes the closure of its regional subsidiary, Lufthansa CityLine, and the retirement of 27 aircraft deemed less fuel-efficient than newer technology aircraft.
“Temporarily grounding aircraft is unavoidable if fuel costs continue to rise and supplies are limited,” said Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr, as reported by India Today.
This measure was taken to protect the group’s financial condition from further losses. The closure of this subsidiary resulted in the cancellation of regional routes to several cities such as Bydgoszcz and Rzeszów in Poland, and Stavanger in Norway. These routes are now being rerouted through other major aviation hubs to make more efficient use of existing aircraft. [sources/photo special]
