Lufthansa last week revised its operations for the upcoming winter season, which begins on October 24 and runs until March 27 next year, removing a notable 480 weekly flights compared to its initial plan, or more than 800 weekly services year-on-year. The changes will also impact cities across the former Yugoslavia, namely Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade, in addition to the previously reported termination of flights to Skopje.
For the upcoming winter, Lufthansa has removed all Munich - Ljubljana services from its network, resuming March 28, 2027. The airline had planned to operate ten weekly flights between the two cities, while Frankfurt services will remain unchanged at twice daily. Lufthansa temporarily suspended the Munich - Ljubljana route in late April following the closure of its CityLine subsidiary, but operations are due to resume next week at a reduced frequency.
In Zagreb, Lufthansa plans to halve its Frankfurt operations compared to its original schedule. The airline has now planned a daily service between the two cities, down from the initially scheduled two daily flights. However, this will be partially offset by a slight increase in Munich - Zagreb frequencies, which will be maintained twice per day, representing an increase of one to three weekly rotations compared to the previous winter, depending on the month. However, Lufthansa remains prone to making additional network revisions closer to the start of the season. The Frankfurt service will be maintained by wet-leased Air Dolomiti capacity over the winter months.
In Belgrade, Lufthansa is removing one weekly flight from its Munich service, reducing operations to a total of thirteen per week. However, compared to last winter, the carrier is still set to operate an additional two to three weekly flights on the route from January 2027, although this remains subject to change as further schedule revisions are possible.
The German flag carrier has previously said that, during the 2026/27 winter season, it will reduce capacity under the Lufthansa core brand as part of the planned consolidation of short- and medium-haul traffic across the Lufthansa Group’s six hubs.
It's hard to believe that Ljubljana will stay without Munich flights... Surely AirDolomiti will jump in?
ReplyDeleteWhy is it hard to believe?
DeleteThey already suspended it for a month and half during summer season, why not during winter
DeleteWell Slovenia isn't such a big market and it's covered by FRA & ZRH.
DeleteWinter is always weaker, so cuts aren’t shocking. What matters is whether these are truly seasonal reductions or the start of something more permanent.
DeleteCompletely shutting down MUC-LJU is shocking, it's a major global hub.
DeleteI mean MUC is a major global hub, not LJU.
And it’s still 3-4hours away by car
DeleteI’m glad Lufthansa’s taking over ITA airways now - yet another OK company it can destroy.
DeleteITA emerged from Alitalia, which Italians destroyed themselves. It would´ve not be long, until they would´ve destroyed ITA as well. Selling it was a smart move from the Italian Government. If it was smart move to sell it to LH, time will tell
Deletetheir financial doing is alreaady better
DeleteZagreb and Ljubljana are EU, not some imaginary region.
DeleteReally???
DeleteThis seems to be a very big reduction for LJU. Is it possible that they are planning the route to be solely operated by Air Dolomiti?
ReplyDeleteThey already shceduled Air Dolomiti on some other routes, like FRA-ZAG for example. If they were going to do it from Ljubljana, they would have done it by now.
DeleteEven if they do, which I doubt, it's cary that and airline like Lufthansa is just randomly not selling tickets for routes for weeks,
DeleteMaybe they get Austrian to launch VIE.
Delete*VIE-L:JU
DeleteThat would probably be even more loss making
DeleteMaybe not Austrian but ITA could work.
DeleteIncoming Vrtovec airlines
ReplyDeleteFraport and their Fanboys will say there is no need for new airline because LHG will take care of us 😊
DeleteNot because LH will take care of us but because a new airline would be loss making, give no addition to the market, improve no connectivity and probably just replace the existing routes. So yes - even more useless than LH itself.
Delete@9:03 Feel free to open your own airline - Altruistic airlines and fly by yourself but please do not take tax payer's money for such escapades.
DeleteIt is good that JU opened MUC.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteThat can be reason why are they not cutting Belgrade.
DeleteI think so too
DeleteMaybe but then again they are not cutting FRA. Other airlines like TK also skipped on cutting BEG so I guess demand also plays a role.
DeleteBEG is doing remarkably well these days.
Thanks to Air Serbia, Lufthansa still flies to BEG.
DeleteHahahahah yeah, of course.
DeleteI think this is why BEG isn't seeing as many cuts:
DeleteŠto se tiče potrošnje naših građana u inostranstvu, ona je za prva tri meseca premašila milijardu evra i dostigla 1.041 miliona evra, dok je u istom periodu prošle godine iznosila 883 miliona evra. Građani Srbije su u sva tri meseca ove godine trošili na putovanja van zemlje više nego prošle.
Dominantan odliv deviza dolazi preko privatnih turističkih putovanja u inostranstvo na koja su građani Srbije u prva tri meseca izdvojili 911 miliona evra, dok su u istom periodu prošle godine potrošili 767 miliona evra.
Poslovni turizam van zemlje takođe je u ekspanziji, jer se u prvom kvartalu beleži potrošnja od 130 miliona evra, 13 miliona evra više nego prošle godine.
Fraport Derangewment Syndrome sufferer will try to explain how Fraport took over LJU to give preferential treatment to LH and LH is cutting it?
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteThank God we have Fanboys like you that will take care of us to increase air connectivity. Bravo Fraport, Danke Deutschland ☺️
DeleteNobody said they took it over because of that. They took over the airport when LH wasn't even flying there. Once they did start flying they did very little to attract new airlines. The ones that did come, came thanks to government susbidy program.
DeleteSo government actually did well on attracting new airlines?!
DeleteNot really since most are low frequnecy and some have become seasonal. But they did more than Fraport, that's for sure.
DeleteSad for LJU because of losing Munich during winter, on the other hand perfect for KLM and Turkish to continue growing.
ReplyDeleteIST is a big backtrack for flights to Europe.
DeleteWhat's going on with this airline
ReplyDeleteIt has become an unreliable airline cutting flights left and night, closing subsidiries overnight without any plan of action for the day after, bickering with employees, cutting costs...
DeleteFlight cancellations six months in advance aren't a big deal. I doubt most of those flights had a single passenger booked on them. Most are connecting anyway, so they will just be re-routes.
DeleteLjubljana losing Munich entirely in winter is a big blow. First CityLine chaos now schedule cuts.
ReplyDeleteNot surprising. Lufthansa has been signalling short-haul cuts for months and rising costs in Europe make thinner regional routes difficult to sustain. The bigger question is whether other airlines will step in and fill the gaps, especially in Ljubljana.
ReplyDeleteHalving ZAG-FRA is not insidfnicant either.
ReplyDeleteIt's because Croatia Airlines capacity is up by a huge number of seats and Croatia Airlines will fly Lufthansa passengers probably for free.
DeleteWhy will fly for free? They are already doing it
DeleteI wouldn’t be surprised if even more cuts follow before winter actually starts.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteEvery Lufthansa cut is an opportunity for someone else.
ReplyDeletePeople will complain, but airlines aren’t charities. If routes don’t perform or costs are too high, cuts happen. Lufthansa is clearly restructuring after the CityLine shutdown and broader operational issues.
ReplyDeleteOf course we will complain. What airline shuts down its subsidiary overnight and leaves passengers stranded because of restructuring?
DeleteIt shut it down because it wasn't profitable for them.
DeleteThey handled it terribly. If this was any ex-Yu airline did that, half of you would be in delerium.
DeletePassengers weren't left stranded
DeleteLH handled it remarkably well so that's why they didn't get any hate. People were instantly rebooked on another airline within the LH Group.
DeleteLufthansa is becoming more selective about which secondary routes feed its hubs. Frankfurt remains protected, Munich appears to be taking more of the hit. Interesting strategic shift.
ReplyDeleteProbably because for the region VIE is more convenient for transfers.
DeleteAlso OS staff is more chill and they are not prone to strikes.
Deleteyeh sure selective... they just confirmed that they will co-build another extension of T2 in MUC
DeleteIt's one thing when they confirm their intention, it's another for them to start doing it.
DeleteAir Dolomiti operating Frankfurt–Zagreb says a lot about Lufthansa’s current fleet and staffing situation. Temporary fixes seem to be becoming permanent solutions.
ReplyDeleteI hope KLM steps in at Ljubljana airport and increases winter ops to 14 weekly.
ReplyDeleteDon't they already fly 14pw?
DeleteIn summer, but not in winter
DeleteMunich was one of the most convenient options for same day business trips from Ljubljana. Losing it for the entire winter would be a serious downgrade, regardless of what Lufthansa says.
ReplyDeleteSame for Zagreb. I used them quite often for day trips. At least ZAG has OU
DeleteLess competition + fewer frequencies = higher fares. Passengers will end up paying for all this “consolidation”.
ReplyDeleteAir Serbia must be loving this. Every Lufthansa reduction in the region gives Belgrade a stronger competitive position as a transfer hub.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a plus for them
DeleteNot just JU but OS as well. MUC was a nightmare for them.
DeleteWhat a mess again from Lufthansa
ReplyDeleteWhy are people surprised. They announced that Lufthansa matraix thing last year where they would consolidate across the LH group hubs. Now they are doing just that.
ReplyDeleteThe CityLine closure continues to create ripple effects.
ReplyDeleteSo far 2 routes less in the region than last winter. Not good.
ReplyDeleteOpportunity for OU
ReplyDeleteKnowing OU, they will probably sympathise with LH and half their owne frequnecies too
DeleteVery good joke red eagle! 🙂
DeleteLJU is a shithole and it proves every time there is a crisis. I know it is, I work there for some time. OU would be making a great strategic movement if they would start flying ZAG-LJU-MUC-LJU-ZAG
ReplyDeleteMaybe they should fly Zagreb-Zagorje-Maribor-Ljubljana-Fak am See - Munich instead?
DeleteCmon mate
But you missed off Potorož!
DeleteAnd with off touching Rijeka on Wednesdays and Fridays around 3 am
DeleteAnon @11.00, although I consider myself to be very keen of humour of any kind, I fail to see even a remote funny thing in your reply
DeleteI fly often MUC-ZAG and honestly in case of a stopover in LJU I would avoid it for sure. I would then prefer Flixbus. The flight would take too long overall. Anyway, don't count on OU. We all know how good their strategies are :-)
DeleteTheir strike ruined our family trip this spring. Never again.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you, their strike was not appropriate at all.
DeletePeople forget LH mainline wasn't that profitable to start with. This is just downsizing to make it more profitable.
ReplyDeleteIf this major downsizing in Germany isn't a sign the economy is struggling then I don't know what is.
It's not just Germany, a few days ago Level announced several serious cuts to the US.
Now is a chance to go for FCO or MXP with scheduling to open connectivity for intercontinetal flights. MUC should get direct Railjet connection from Ljubljana to the MUC airport.
ReplyDeletelol they dont even have a proper train conenction to München
DeleteBut Flixbus rules 🙂
DeleteI have a feeling Skopje will return in the winter months
ReplyDeleteThey are not going to fly it during peak of summer but will fly it in low winter months of November... Makes no sense.
Delete@11.04 dont you see that he is only provocating
Deletei cannot imagine LJU without MUC flights honestly
ReplyDeleteThe German parliament approved a proposed reduction of the national aviation tax to levels from before the 2024 increase. The change will go into effect on July 1, 2026, and will see a 16% reduction in the levies across all three tiers. The new tax will be EUR13.03 euros (USD15.20), EUR33.01 (USD38.40), and EUR59.43 (USD69.20) per departing passenger, depending on the flight length.
ReplyDeleteYou can be sure passengers won't see it as airlines will take that money.
DeleteFrom the other side we know who always pays when the prices go up.
It's good that they are reducing it but at this point it will change little as people can't afford the rest of the trip.
DeleteAt the end it will not be noticed by the end consumer as the final price will be only a couple of euros per ticket.
Deletewhile the EU leadership is propagating fiction about the EU economy, industry is acting on the real story of the economy, LH case in hand
ReplyDeleteTerrible
ReplyDeleteIt's getting worse and worse, RAM just announced a lot of cuts to Europe at the height of the summer season.
ReplyDeleteMost are from June to September:
Casablanca-Catania 3 to 2
Casablanca-Montpellier from 3 to 2
Casablanca-Valencia from 5 to 4
Casablanca-Venice from 4 to 3
Marrakesh-Bordeaux CANCELLED
Marrakesh-Brussels CANCELLED
Marrakesh-Lyon CANCELLED
Marrakesh-Marseille CANCELLED
Marrakesh-Nantes CANCELLED
Marrakesh-Toulouse CANCELLED
Tangiers-Barcelona from 2 to 1
Tangiers-Malaga from 2 to 1
Not good.
What I don't understand is why is Fraport always connected to Lufthansa in the comments here. Indeed Fraport's opinions / preferences are shifting apart from the LHG 's. This could be noticed by the newly strong disagreements between LHG and FRA concerning the expansion and the mutual management of FRA airport as well as over the fees paid to FRA for ground handling and services. Why should FRA prefer LHG over other carriers when they have a disagreements with it ?
ReplyDeleteLH has a stake in Fraport.
DeleteNot such a big one that will move a big decisions. The shareholders will not allow it, as they are interested in receiving their dividends wherever it comes from. Swissport is not preferring LX, Tav is not preferring TK despite the wider opinion. It is a matter of interest not love.
DeleteLHG has no stake in OU yet people still believe they control them. Just ask PIR 😃
DeleteI never heard about the theory that LHG is controlling OU and that OU is a humiliating feeder of LHG before I didn't met PIR 😁 are there some facts or is it just a theory of the angry PIR? 😄
DeleteNo airline is flying the pax around for free or for the favour of the others (OU for LH). In an environment well covered by the low-coster, the legacy airlines are obliged to adapt their prices and services in order to survive. It seams we are forgetting that years ago people in our region as well as wider were flying long haul once per five years, the prices were very high and the service was accordingly extended /luxurious and the competence was not high. Nowadays most of the people are flying long haul five times per year, are not willing to pay even 1€ plus for extra services, taking the best offer possible , expecting "a bottle of champagne for the price of a bottle of orange juice". Therefore the airlines have to lower the prices, reduce the service, pack as many seats as dense as possible, employ staff with lower qualifications / will to work and higher personal demands etc. etc. Otherwise they will not survive. The low-coster destroyed the air journeys. Same with the tourist industry. ( Noticed by the own experience of 34 yrs and still active in the airline industry ).
ReplyDelete*competence = competition
ReplyDelete....and not to forget that the politics has also a strong control which country/route would be preferred ( see the hype with TIA and PRN )
ReplyDeleteA lot of whispers about actual AirSlovenia venue under the new gov. Let's see if it happens. People don't realise how close we were to Solinair - Slovenia venture in 2020.
ReplyDeleteSad for SKP even the pilots from LH are disapointed with the décision to suspend Skopje …
ReplyDelete