Lufthansa Group announces summer 2026 schedule with over 14,000 weekly flights to 330 destinations

The Lufthansa Group has unveiled its Summer 2026 flight schedule, featuring an expanded network of over 14,000 weekly connections to 330 destinations in around 100 countries. The new schedule, now open for booking, includes new long-haul and European routes, increased flight frequencies, and refined schedules across all group airlines – Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Discover Airlines, Edelweiss, and ITA Airways.

The flights will operate via the group’s major hubs in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, and Italy, providing passengers with a wider range of global connections.

Lufthansa Airlines

For summer 2026, Lufthansa Airlines focuses on network stability and expanded long-haul connectivity. From Frankfurt, the airline will launch new routes to St. Louis and Cape Town (five times weekly), Rio de Janeiro (six times weekly), Raleigh/Durham and Nairobi (daily), and Washington, D.C. (twice daily).

Responding to growing demand in Scandinavia, Trondheim (Norway) joins the network from May 1, 2026, with four weekly flights from Frankfurt. Together with Munich services, Lufthansa will offer daily flights from Germany to Norway’s third-largest city.

In Munich, long-haul services to São Paulo and Johannesburg – first launched in winter 2025/26 – will continue through the summer, operated by Airbus A350-900 aircraft.

Due to higher operating costs in Germany, Lufthansa will reduce over 50 short-haul feeder frequencies, including links between Munich and Cologne/Düsseldorf/Berlin and Frankfurt and Leipzig/Nuremberg. Some routes, such as Munich–Münster/Osnabrück and Munich–Dresden, remain under review. Connections from Frankfurt–Toulouse and Munich–Tallinn/Oviedo will be discontinued in spring 2026.

SWISS

From March 29, 2026, SWISS will launch flights from Zurich to Poznań, Poland’s fifth-largest city, and add Rijeka, Croatia, during July and August. Frequencies will increase on popular routes including Alicante, Valencia, Manchester, Montpellier, Tirana, Budapest, and Venice.

On long-haul routes, Tokyo will be served daily during April, May, and October, and five times weekly for the rest of the Summer season.

Austrian Airlines

Austrian Airlines’ summer 2026 schedule strengthens its Mediterranean offering, with new destinations and added frequencies to Greece, Spain, and Italy. The airline will also expand its “coolcation” program – including Sylt, Edinburgh, and the Lofoten Islands – following strong demand in 2025.

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ITA Airways

ITA Airways will return to London Heathrow, resuming the Rome Fiumicino–Heathrow route with two daily flights. The airline will also operate additional summer services from Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate to popular destinations in Greece, Spain, and the Italian islands, further strengthening its southern European network.

Brussels Airlines

Brussels Airlines will expand its African network with the addition of Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) – its 18th destination in sub-Saharan Africa – with twice-weekly flights starting June 2026. Service to Freetown (Sierra Leone) will increase from five to six weekly flights. Within Europe, the airline is adding capacity to Spain, Portugal, and Italy.

Edelweiss

Edelweiss, based in Zurich, will add Windhoek (Namibia) to its long-haul network with twice-weekly flights from June 2026. The carrier will also increase frequencies to Seattle, Punta Cana, and Tampa, while extending seasonal services to Halifax, Cape Town, and Colombo.

Discover Airlines

Discover Airlines will add two new short-haul routes – Shannon (Ireland) and Brindisi (Italy) – both operating twice weekly from Frankfurt.

The airline will also launch daily flights from Frankfurt and Munich to Larnaca (Cyprus) starting in late March, including double-daily frequencies on select days. On long-haul routes, Frankfurt–Seychelles will now operate year-round, and a fifth weekly flight will be added to Las Vegas.

With a combined network exceeding 14,000 weekly flights, the Lufthansa Group’s summer 2026 schedule demonstrates its continued recovery and expansion focus, offering greater connectivity across intercontinental and European markets for leisure and business travelers alike.

Lufthansa Group reports 1.3bn euros Q3 operating profit and confirms full-year outlook for higher earnings

The Lufthansa Group achieved an operating profit (Adjusted EBIT) of 1.3 billion euros in the third quarter of 2025, maintaining profitability at the same level as last year while confirming expectations for a significant improvement in full-year earnings. The Group’s total revenue rose by 4% year-on-year to 11.2 billion euros, marking the strongest quarterly revenue performance in its history.

For the first nine months of the year, Adjusted EBIT reached 1.5 billion euros, up 300 million euros compared with 2024. Net profit for the third quarter amounted to 1 billion euros, slightly below last year’s figure due to higher costs, but cumulative net profit for the first nine months increased to 1.1 billion euros (previous year: 830 million euros).

Carsten Spohr, Chairman and CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, described the results as a positive signal: “We have had the best summer for flight operations in the last decade, with punctuality improving by double digits and regularity above 99 percent. Our new aircraft deliveries are picking up, product enhancements are visible across long-haul fleets, and customer satisfaction is rising. The same applies to our employees, whose engagement levels are at record highs.” Spohr highlighted that unit costs improved significantly in the second half of the year due to strict cost control and the ongoing Lufthansa Airlines Turnaround Program, which has reduced the increase in unit costs by 1.4 percentage points. However, he reiterated concerns over Germany’s cost environment, noting that domestic air traffic has halved since 2019 due to regulatory and tax pressures.

Passenger airlines and revenue trends

The Group’s passenger airlines carried 42 million passengers in Q3, up from 40 million a year earlier, with a load factor of 87.5%. Revenue rose slightly to 8.9 billion euros, while operating profit remained stable at 1.2 billion euros.

In the first nine months, passenger airline revenue reached 23 billion euros, a 3% increase year-on-year. Adjusted EBIT for the segment improved to 914 million euros (from 825 million euros), supported by lower fuel costs, improved equity results, and the absence of strike-related losses that had impacted the previous year.

Punctuality improved by 10 percentage points, while flight regularity remained at 99%, reducing the financial burden from disruptions by over €200 million.

Revenue per available seat kilometer (RASK) declined by 2.2%, reflecting competitive pressure in European markets and a temporary slowdown in transatlantic demand. However, unit cost growth (CASK) excluding fuel was limited to 0.5%, thanks to efficiency measures and cost discipline.

Looking ahead, advance bookings for Q4 remain strong, with stable demand across all traffic regions and a particularly solid premium segment.

The Group expects Adjusted EBIT for 2025 to exceed last year’s 1.6 billion euros, driven by stable demand, improved operational efficiency, and strict cost management. Free cash flow is forecast to remain near 2024 levels, between 800–850 million euros, with investments of up to 3.3 billion euros mainly allocated to fleet renewal and digital upgrades.

Lufthansa’s latest results confirm a steady financial and operational recovery, setting a stronger foundation for sustainable profitability as it continues implementing its turnaround strategy across all airlines.

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