Lufthansa braces for very slow recovery in passenger demand

Reliable forecasts remain impossible for the time being, but advance bookings for private trips in June next year are close to pre-crisis levels and already above them on certain days in September.

German airline Lufthansa expects a very slow demand recovery in the face of the resurgent COVID-19 pandemic and now hopes to reach roughly half of its pre-crisis capacity over the course of next year, a board member told Reuters.

First-quarter capacity is expected to be up to 25% of pre-crisis levels, unchanged from the current quarter and well short of the 50% previously envisaged by the end of this year, said Harry Hohmeister, who is responsible for the group’s Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss and Brussels airlines. “Maybe a recovery to 50% of the pre-crisis level could be possible next year, and maybe