Lufthansa cites 'stressful' period at Eurowings as Q2 profit dips

Lufthansa Group has reported an operating profit down 3.2% at E983m (US$1.15b) for Q2, citing a "stressful period" for subsidiary Eurowings. The budget unit's earnings "developed negatively", says the group, while praising the performance of its network carriers. Group revenue rose 0.4% to E9.3b in Q2. First-half earnings were only "marginally below the record result" of the previous year, "largely driven" by positive development of the group's network airlines, including Lufthansa mainline, Swiss and Austrian Airlines. network carriers boosted their operating profit 4.9% to E836m in Q2, though revenue was down 3.7% at E5.94b. The group says first-half performance was "overall in line" with its expectations for the full year, but expects its adjusted operating profit for 2018 to be "slightly below" the level achieved last year. <br/>