The Lufthansa Group has reported another robust third quarter in operating profits as it’s increased its revenue by 4% year-on-year to 11.2 billion euros (last year was 10.7 billion euros). The Lufthansa Group reaffirmed its outlook of anticipating a significant increase in earnings for the year as a whole.
Results of the Third Quarter
It was the strongest quarter in terms of revenue in the history of the Lufthansa Group. The company generated an operating profit (adjusted earnings before interest and taxes or EBIT) of 1.3 billion euros, which was similar to the previous year.
The operating margin for this period was 11.9%, lower than the previous year that was at 12.5%. Operating profit for the first nine months amounted to 1.5 billion euros, up 300 million euros on the previous year.
Carsten Spohr, the CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, described the results as a “positive turning point” for the Lufthansa.
“We have had the best summer in terms of our flight operations in the last decade – with regularity of over 99 percent and a double-digit improvement in punctuality […] In combination with numerous digital innovations, upgraded services, and newly designed lounges, passenger satisfaction rose significantly in the third quarter. With employee satisfaction also reaching new highs across the Group […].”
Spohr also noted concerns about Germany’s competitive position as a business hub, saying,
“Germany as a location for business is benefiting less and less from our success, as shown by the fact that domestic flights within Germany have halved since 2019 due to regulatory cost developments.”
Improved Results in the First Nine Months
In the third quarter, the Lufthansa Group welcomed around 42 million passengers on board its passenger airlines, up from 40 million last year. Despite a 3% increase in seat capacity, load factor rose in the third quarter slightly to 87.5%.
Overall revenue for the passenger airlines grew slightly to 8.9 million euros in the third quarter, generating an operating profit of 1.2 billion euros.
For the first nine months of 2025, passenger airline revenue totalled 23 billion euros, 3% growth compared with the previous year. Adjusted EBIT improved by roughly 10% from the last year to 914 million euros.
There were some key factors for this positive development such as lower fuel cost, improved result from equity investments and the absence of the financial impact of strikes in 2024.
In addition, the Lufthansa Group also recorded an improvement in punctuality by 10% compared to last year, through the stabilisation of flight operations in the first nine months. This had the positive effect of reducing the financial burden resulting from flight irregularities by more than 200 million euros.
Employee satisfaction and outlook
The Lufthansa Group saw an improvement in employee satisfaction in its annual employee ‘involve me!’ survey, that showed the highest engagement levels within the last decade since it began. The engagement index scored an average value of 3.9 out of 5, as compared to last year, the survey recorded a 2.2 out of 5 score.
The outlook for the fourth quarter seems to indicate a more stable demand from the number of advance bookings. The current booking status for Lufthansa is on par with 2024.
With ongoing global uncertainties, the Lufthansa Group remain optimistic and confirmed its forecast for the full year and expects an operating result (adjusted EBIT) to be significantly above the previous year.
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