Lufthansa Expects US Flight Demand to Dip in Q3 2025

Lufthansa expects a decline in demand for flights to the United States during the third quarter of 2025, following strong bookings in the first half of the year. Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr shared the outlook in an interview with Rheinische Post, noting that while outbound traffic from Europe to the U.S. is softening, inbound demand from the U.S. to Europe remains strong.

Spohr confirmed that Lufthansa will continue serving U.S. destinations exclusively from its Frankfurt and Munich hubs. The airline has no plans to resume U.S. services from other German cities, maintaining a streamlined long-haul network strategy.

Addressing broader industry challenges, Spohr cautioned that EU-based airlines face increasing competitive pressure from non-EU carriers, particularly due to the high costs of complying with EU environmental regulations. He noted that Lufthansa has lost market share in Southeast Asia to Middle Eastern carriers and had to reduce its network in that region as a result.

Despite market pressures, Lufthansa is not planning additional aircraft orders at this time. Spohr stated the airline is operating at the financial limit of its current fleet expansion plans.

According to ch-aviation data, Lufthansa has 117 aircraft on order, including twenty A320neo, seventeen A321neo, fourteen A350-900, fifteen A350-1000, twenty-one Boeing 777-9, and thirty Boeing 787-9 aircraft. Additional aircraft are also on order for Lufthansa Group subsidiaries.

The fleet expansion supports Lufthansa’s long-term strategy, but near-term focus remains on optimizing network performance amid shifting global travel demand.

Related News: https://airguide.info/category/air-travel-business/airline-finance/

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com