The Lufthansa Group was able to improve its operating result by €103 million during the first three months of the current year. However, the economic result for the traditionally weaker first quarter was negatively influenced by the catastrophes in Japan and the political unrest in North Africa, with the group posting an operating loss of €227 million.

Despite revenue growth, the Passenger Airline Group, the business segment in the group with the highest revenue, recorded an operating result just below the previous year’s figure at minus €391 million. In addition to the effects of the catastrophes in Japan and the political unrest in North Africa, the result can also be attributed to the rise in oil prices during the past months and the burdens brought about by the severe winter.

Although the business segment was able to record an increase in sales, the given circumstances meant that it was unable to fully sell the expanded offer, generated mainly by the modernization of the fleet. Nonetheless, the Passenger Airline Group did achieve a significant reduction of its unit costs. Lufthansa Passenger Airlines, like Germanwings, suffered from the new German air traffic tax that was introduced at the beginning of the year. The airline posted a first-quarter operating loss of €234 million. SWISS recorded an operating profit of €17 million; Austrian Airlines reduced its operating loss to €64 million; bmi entered an operating result of minus €63 million; and Germanwings closed the first quarter with an operating loss of €44 million.