Lufthansa reports ‘unprecedented’ 2022 earnings

Lufthansa Group virtually doubled its profits to €32.8 billion in the 2022 economic year following a “strong boost in demand”, and strategies to improve capacities in 2023 to near-2019 concentrations.  

The airline big, which also owns Austrian Airways, Swiss, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings, experienced beforehand raised its earnings forecast and on Friday (3 March) confirmed adjusted earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) of €1.5 billion for 2022.

The group’s altered EBIT margin enhanced by 4.6 for every cent (compared to -9.9 per cent in 2021) and net profits arrived in at €791 million (when compared to a loss of €2.2 billion the preceding calendar year).

Group CEO Carsten Spohr proclaimed: “Lufthansa is back”. 

“In just a person year, we have accomplished an unparalleled financial turnaround. With an working income of €1.5 billion, the Lufthansa Team has realized a considerably far better final result than envisioned,” he additional. 

The group reported the “clearly positive result” came regardless of higher inflation, gasoline prices and a summer months marred by world staffing shortages, as the number of flights “significantly expanded” in excess of the program of the year to fulfill “strong demand”.

The group’s airways welcomed a whole 102 million passengers in 2022 – far more than double the number of passengers served in 2021 – with capacity at 72 for every cent of pre-pandemic stages. Seat load issue for the 12 months was 79.8 per cent, 18.2 proportion factors better than the former year (61.6 per cent).

Because of to a “considerable raise in passenger visitors” and better yields, the group’s passenger airline revenues amplified by 148 for every cent calendar year-on-yr to €22.8 billion. 

Swiss and Austrian Airlines also produced a comprehensive-12 months working financial gain of €476 million and €3 million, respectively.

The group’s airfreight company, Lufthansa Cargo, also described file earnings of €1.6 billion, with yields 136 for every cent over pre-disaster degrees.

The outlook for 2023 stays good, with Sphohr stating “demand for air travel remains high”.

The team expects to raise ability during 2023 to all-around 85 to 90 per cent of 2019 stages and anticipates an adjusted EBIT margin of “at least” 8 for each cent, with earnings predicted to be “particularly strong” in the next and 3rd quarters. 

The team is also sharpening aim on its sustainability aims. 

Just after lately growing its ‘green fares’ across European services, the group on Thursday (2 March) introduced the order of 22 new fuel-successful aircraft to increase to its fleet.

From the mid-2020s, the team will consider shipping and delivery of 10 Airbus A350-1000 plane (a new addition to the fleet), 5 Airbus A350-900 plane and seven Boeing 787-9 ‘Dreamliner’ aircraft, bought for a complete selling price of US$7.5 billion (approx. €7.1 billon). 

Lufthansa Team, which is now fully back in non-public ownership, is also at the moment engaged in “exclusive talks” with Italian federal government above the buy of Italian flag carrier ITA Airways and not long ago inked a deal with state-owned rail enterprise Trenitalia to enhance multimodal inbound links in the region.

“For our company and our staff, we want to keep on to develop, condition the long run and increase our market posture,” Sphohr claimed.