Lufthansa Group is canceling approximately 20,000 flights through October due to surging jet fuel prices and shortages in Europe, triggered by conflict in the Middle East that has disrupted a fifth of the worlds oil supply.
The reductions target short-haul routes within Europe, representing about a 1% cut in overall capacity measured in seat miles. These flights often feed into the groups larger long-haul network, amplifying the impact.
Core hubs Frankfurt and Munich face the heaviest reductions. From Frankfurt, entire routes to Bydgoszcz, Rzeszów in Poland, and Stavanger in Norway are eliminated. Reduced frequencies affect services to Hannover, Cork, Gdańsk, Ljubljana, Rijeka, Sibiu, Stuttgart, Trondheim, Tivat, and Wrocław.
Other group hubs including Munich, Rome, Vienna, and Zurich will also see frequency cuts, particularly to smaller destinations. Lufthansa CityLine, a short-haul subsidiary, is closing operations.
With all European carriers under similar pressure, overall flight frequencies are declining, leading to fuller planes and higher fares.