Heinz Hermann Thiele, major shareholder of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, died unexpectedly on Tuesday at the age of 79. This was announced on Tuesday evening by Knorr-Bremse AG, where he last acted as deputy chairman of the supervisory board.

The late manager bought into Lufthansa last year and put considerable pressure on the Spohr executive board. At times it even looked as if he would refuse to approve the state aid contract. Ultimately, Thiele also gave the green light.

In autumn 2020 he caused a sensation because he made serious allegations against the Lufthansa Executive Board, but also the unions. Among other things, he called for job cuts and a radical austerity program. The crane group should also follow Thiele’s view separate from participations.