The Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings, which is positioned as a point-to-point airline within the group, was able to increase its adjusted EBIT to 2023 million euros in the 205 financial year. This brought us into the black. The previous period ended with a deficit of 197 million euros.
Before the corona pandemic, Eurowings was, with a few exceptions, deeply in the red for several years. Even in 2022 it was not possible to reach profitability. That changed last year, which is why the company speaks of a “successful restructuring”. At the same time, it is the highest profit that can be reported in the company's long history.
This is also attributed to the fact that they not only withdrew from the long-haul segment, but also adjusted the business model during the pandemic. While previously the focus was mainly on city flights, the focus is increasingly on holiday destinations. For some time now, media releases have referred to themselves as “Germany’s largest holiday airline”.
The expansion of the tourist offering led to sales increasing by 40 percent to 2,6 billion euros. Eurowings benefited from the fact that ticket prices in the core market of Germany were sometimes exorbitantly increased, but passengers still booked. The high demand combined with high prices ultimately made a significant contribution to Eurowings being able to make a record profit.
Together with its subsidiary Eurowings Europe, it also operates bases in Salzburg, Graz, Pristina, Stockholm-Arlanda, Prague and Palma de Mallorca. On paper, there is also a base in Vienna, because the employees have a guaranteed employment until the end of 2024. They are currently flying to other Eurowings Europe bases in order to be able to carry out their duties from there. There is currently no decision as to whether the base could be revived or what the future of the Viennese employees in general will be.
“The financial turnaround is not only a historic milestone for Eurowings, but above all a strong team effort by our 5.000 employees that deserves the highest recognition. We see that our realignment as a value airline for Europe is successful. This is how we have developed from an airline with a strong domestic German influence into a leading European holiday airline. We will continue on this path, specifically expand the tourism sector and bring even more Eurowings to Europe in 2024,” explains Kai Duve, Chief Financial Officer of Eurowings.