The Lufthansa Group has announced that it will shut down its subsidiary Lufthansa CityLine, effective 18 April 2026. The decision comes as the group faces rising fuel costs linked to the war between the United States and Iran. Ongoing labour tensions have further pressured the airline, which has operated at a loss for several years.
Lufthansa CityLine was established in 1992 as a lower-cost regional operator within the Lufthansa Group. In later years, the airline expanded into long-haul operations and dedicated freighter services. However, costs gradually increased again, prompting Lufthansa to launch Lufthansa City Airlines in 2024 and announce plans to discontinue CityLine by 2028. That timeline has now been brought forward.
The Lufthansa CityLine fleet currently consists of twelve Airbus A319s, four Airbus A321-200P2Fs, and 23 CRJ900s, of which nine are already parked. While the CRJ900s were already scheduled to retire by the end of this year, the future of the A319s and A321P2Fs remains unclear. It is expected that at least part of the fleet will be transferred to Lufthansa City Airlines.
In the past, Lufthansa CityLine operated a variety of aircraft types, including ATR 42s, Airbus A320s and A340-300s, CRJ100/200s, CRJ700s, DHC-8-100/300s, Embraer ERJ190/195s, Fokker 50s, and BAe RJ85s.
According to German aviation news site aerotelegraph, the Lufthansa Group is also considering similar measures for Lufthansa Cargo, as the unit is reportedly performing below expectations.
Credits: Lufthansa Airlines
