BERLIN: German flag carrier Lufthansa Group said Tuesday it will cut around 20,000 short-haul flights from its summer schedule through October as it seeks to curb rising fuel costs following the Iran conflict.
The airline stated that the reductions would lower overall capacity by less than one percent in available seat kilometres (ASK), while saving more than 40,000 metric tons of jet fuel.
The cuts primarily affect unprofitable short-haul routes from Frankfurt and Munich. At the same time, Lufthansa plans to expand selected services in Zurich, Vienna, and Brussels as part of a broader optimisation across its six European hubs.
The group said an initial round of short-term adjustments, covering operations through May 31, has already been implemented, with approximately 120 daily flight cancellations introduced as of Tuesday. Affected passengers have been notified.
At least three destinations — Bydgoszcz and Rzeszow in Poland, and Stavanger in Norway — have been temporarily removed from the schedule.
Lufthansa also said 10 connections would be consolidated through other hubs, including routes linked to Heringsdorf, Cork, Gdansk, Ljubljana, Rijeka, Sibiu, Stuttgart, Trondheim, Tivat, and Wroclaw.
The airline said the move is aimed at improving efficiency across its European network while preserving access to its broader global route system, particularly long-haul connections.
Updated medium-term route plans are expected in late April or early May, including further adjustments to short-haul services for the summer season.
Lufthansa added that its jet fuel supply is secured for the coming weeks and that it is using a combination of physical procurement and price hedging to manage the impact of higher fuel costs.
