The hope that the availability of vaccines against Covid-19 will lead to a rapid and lasting recovery in aviation is currently no longer at Lufthansa. CEO Carsten Spohr expects a “long and cold winter” for which the group is currently preparing.

Demand in the industry was quite high during the summer holidays, but a look at autumn and winter shows that the number of advance bookings is cause for concern. Lufthansa is not spared from this development. The competition from the low-cost segment is currently outdoing itself with discount campaigns and on some routes the ticket prices have tumbled into the single-digit euro range. This is a clear indication that one is trying to land additional bookings via the prices.

As far as Lufthansa is concerned, Spohr wants to stick to the goals he has set himself. For the North America market, however, he no longer dares to make a forecast, the manager told the editorial network in Germany. Spohr expects China not to open before the second quarter of next year. Both have an impact on the long-haul business of the group.

“The path to normality will take longer for us than for many others,” said Spohr. Right now you're in the air at around half the capacity of 2019. For the year as a whole, the crane boss expects around 40 percent.