Corona couldn't harm Carsten Spohr.

After his airline has largely gotten rid of its debts to the state and vacationers are even booking more tickets than in 2019, the CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG is as self-confident and aggressive as we know him from before the crisis.

In a conversation with FAZ publisher Carsten Knop about the present and future of aviation and the Frankfurt hub, he cheerfully distributed tips against competitors, the climate policy of the European Union and the operator of Frankfurt Airport at the FAZ Congress on Friday.

Inga Janovic

Editor in the regional section of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and responsible editor of the business magazine Metropol.

  • Follow I follow

For a moment, however, he shows humility and uses the forum to thank customers, politicians and his own employees for the “always noticeable” loyalty to the largest German airline.

The Covid pandemic was a “brutal incision that almost led to bankruptcy” for the largest German airline.

In retrospect, however, the days when the company lost a hundred million dollars an hour and only one percent of the approximately 800 aircraft fleet was in the air could be classified similarly to the consequences of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 : A turning point, yes, "but it couldn't stop the history of Lufthansa," says Spohr.

"Every tenth business passenger stays away"

In fact, the group wants to use 75 percent of pre-crisis flights this year, and the number of bookings for private customers is sometimes even higher than in 2019. There were still no business people at the airports.

One in ten, according to Spohr's forecast, will not come back, but 70 percent of the previous numbers should be back by the end of the year.

Spohr sees the future of his company not only determined by the "classic triangle" of interests of owners/shareholders, customers and employees, but also strongly influenced by those of society and the environment.

Spohr, who has been a Lufthansa employee for three decades and has been its top boss since 2014, assures that the Group never lost sight of the goal of reducing resource consumption and emissions during the Corona crisis.

Lufthansa used the crisis to secure new aircraft at low prices. Every two weeks, one machine is replaced with a new one that uses 30 percent less fuel and is 50 percent quieter than the retired model.

Waiting for synthetic fuels

The engineer is convinced that the CO2-neutral future for aviation lies in synthetic fuels, but it will be years before these are available.

With today's world production, Lufthansa could barely make ends meet for a week.

"We're not at all where we need to be yet," complains Spohr.

On the other hand, Spohr is skeptical about what is happening in the meantime, above all the CO2 taxes due for air traffic in the European Union, or he describes them clearly as a competitive disadvantage as long as the regulations are limited to the airports in the European Union.

If so, then a worldwide levy would have to come.

Because how will the family of four decide when the long-haul flight with a transfer in Paris is around 800 euros more expensive than the connection via the Istanbul hub due to the taxes?

"That doesn't help the environment." And jobs at European airports could be at risk.

But the President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who opened the FAZ Congress in the morning, knows his ideas about how things could be done better, said Spohr with confidence.

With regard to Frankfurt Airport, the many unfilled jobs are currently a major problem, which only increases the long-standing dissatisfaction of Lufthansa as the largest customer.

Spohr complained that around 100 connections had to be canceled at Easter because there were no ground staff to handle them.

Lufthansa also wants to offer its passengers “a premium experience” on the ground, which works very well in Munich, but not in Frankfurt for a variety of reasons.

But the coordination with the airport operator Fraport is getting better and better - especially since the end of the short guest appearance of the low-cost airline Ryanair at the major airport - so that "in Frankfurt we are finally getting to the modern level that has long been standard at other international airports",

Spohr tries again with conciliatory tones.

And also praises how well the interaction between aviation and rail traffic works in Frankfurt.

The company will invest in the long-distance train station at the airport with Deutsche Bahn AG in order to then bring twice as many passengers to Frankfurt by land.