The logo of German airline Lufthansa is seen in the foreground as passengers walk below a flight information display at Frankfurt Airport, Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on April 15, 2026, as cabin crew union UFO urged members of Lufthansa cabin crew to stage a strike in a dispute over pay and pensions. Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
Frankfurt, Germany: German airline group Lufthansa said Thursday that it would shut down its CityLine regional subsidiary, saying higher jet fuel prices and a series of labour strikes had forced an acceleration of its strategic plans.
"As a first immediately effective step, the 27 operational aircraft of Lufthansa CityLine will be permanently removed from the flight programme starting the day after tomorrow, in order to reduce further losses of the loss-making airline," the group said.
Kerosene prices have more than doubled since the outbreak of the Middle East war and labour disputes had caused "additional burdens", Lufthansa said in a statement.
Europe's biggest airline group has faced a wave of escalating strike action, including five straight days of walkouts this week by cabin crew and pilots.
Services on long-haul and short-haul routes in the rest of Lufthansa's network will also be reduced after the summer to make savings, the group said.
Offers for continued employment in other subsidiaries have been made to staff at CityLine, Lufthansa added.
The measures were "unavoidable in light of the sharply increased kerosene costs and geopolitical instability," said Till Streichert, the airline's chief financial officer.
