Lufthansa is facing internal criticism over a stronger central steering model for Lufthansa Airlines and its sister carriers as the group expands its Matrix Next Level restructuring. Network planning, sales and the flight offering are increasingly being coordinated from the group level across Lufthansa, SWISS, Brussels Airlines, Austrian Airlines and ITA, in a shift that narrows the autonomy of the individual brands.
The new organisation has been in place since the start of the year, but employees and managers are still debating how far the centralisation should go. Some view the changes as too limited, while others consider them excessive. The tension reflects an unresolved strategic question inside Europe’s largest airline group: whether it should operate more like a tightly integrated airline company or preserve greater independence for its premium carriers.
The overhaul forms part of Lufthansa’s wider One Group approach and supports a medium-term target operating margin of 8% to 10%. It also affects commercial coordination across the group’s European network, with consequences for capacity planning and brand positioning.