Lufthansa reminds of A380 option amid strong demand and Boeing delays

Pent-up demand for air travel is “enormous” but the aviation industry faces a “major operational challenge” this summer as rising passenger numbers coincide with staff shortages at airports and other stakeholders, Lufthansa Group chief executive Carsten Spohr has warned. Speaking to analysts on a 5 May Q1 earnings call, Spohr said that demand was rising sharply and bookings last week had exceeded 2019 levels for the first time. However, partners including airports and ground handling providers are “struggling with significant staff shortages” which look set to run into the busy summer travel period. “We are looking for solutions but I’m sure we are not going to find all the solutions by the summer,” says Spohr. Despite these operational challenges, Spohr says the German airline group is “looking ahead with confidence”, and “it is now time to put this [Covid-19] crisis behind us”. Lufthansa Group expects its airlines to operate about 75% of pre-pandemic capacity this year, although this is “subject to the development of the Ukraine war”. Capacity growth will not be affected by aircraft delivery delays from Boeing, says Spohr, noting that “we haven’t pushed ourselves to our operational limits” and the group still has “14 [Airbus] A380s sitting in Spain”. The A380s were placed in storage early in the pandemic and Lufthansa had signalled that the type would not return to service. However, Boeing last month announced that it was delaying first delivery of its 777-9 – for which Lufthansa has 20 firm orders – by up to two years. Spohr’s mention of the 14 parked A380s suggests the airline’s stance on the type could be changing.<br/>