Lufthansa Group carried 651,000 fewer passengers in the third quarter than a year earlier, but sold roughly the same number of seat kilometres and increased traffic revenue by 7% to just under €10 billion. Chief executive Carsten Spohr described demand in the current quarter as showing “no weakness”, as pricing and booking trends helped the group absorb higher fuel costs.
The figures cover July to September 2026. In Frankfurt, Spohr and chief financial officer Till Streichert linked stronger yields to revised fare structures, more upgrades and a continuing shift towards later bookings with higher average value. The group did not quantify those booking patterns.
Lufthansa recouped about 85% of higher fuel costs through fares across its network airlines, while Eurowings recouped the full increase. Capacity was adjusted selectively: Eurowings cut it by 3%, while the group expanded its Asia offering as restrictions affected Gulf transit routes.
The combination of lower passenger numbers and nearly unchanged seat-kilometre sales points to a shift in traffic mix or average journey length, while the revenue increase reflects stronger returns per unit of capacity. The reported figures do not break down those effects. Lufthansa presented its nine-month results on 3 November.