Lufthansa Group has outlined plans to boost long-haul capacity by six percent in 2026, underpinned by the delivery of a new wide-body aircraft roughly every two weeks. The strategy, unveiled on 18 December, aims to restore the carrier to 98 percent of its pre-pandemic supply while concentrating expansion on profitable intercontinental routes.
CEO Carsten Spohr told analysts that short-haul growth will remain “disciplined” due to Germany’s rising air-travel taxes and slot scarcity, but the airline sees pent-up demand from Asia-Pacific corporate clients and North-Atlantic premium leisure segments. Lufthansa intends to use the additional hulls to densify frequencies on Frankfurt–Singapore, Munich–Los Angeles and Zurich–Tokyo as early as the 2026 summer IATA season, with entirely new services pencilled in for 2027.
Amid these network expansions, corporate travellers should also plan for evolving visa requirements on intercontinental itineraries. VisaHQ’s Germany portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) streamlines application processes for dozens of destination countries, offering real-time updates, document checks and courier support, so travel managers can align visa lead times with Lufthansa’s newly scheduled frequencies.
![Lufthansa targets 6 % long-haul capacity growth in 2026, signalling more seats for corporate road-warriors]()
For travel managers, more capacity typically translates into better inventory across business-class fare buckets and increased negotiating leverage in corporate-deal renewals. However, Spohr hinted that yield-management tools will prioritise dynamic pricing, meaning advance-purchase windows may still be critical for discounted C-class seats.
The expansion comes as Lufthansa finalises a part-time collective agreement with cabin-crew union UFO, designed to improve rostering flexibility and cut sick-leave costs. The pact could bolster operational reliability—a lingering pain point for multinationals after last winter’s strike-related cancellations.
Risks remain: delivery delays from Boeing and Airbus have already pushed some A350 and 787 handovers into late 2026, and any slippage could compress peak-season capacity. Nonetheless, Germany-based corporates with trans-pacific or Latin-American footprints should anticipate more non-stop options that can shave hours off multi-leg routings via other European hubs.
CEO Carsten Spohr told analysts that short-haul growth will remain “disciplined” due to Germany’s rising air-travel taxes and slot scarcity, but the airline sees pent-up demand from Asia-Pacific corporate clients and North-Atlantic premium leisure segments. Lufthansa intends to use the additional hulls to densify frequencies on Frankfurt–Singapore, Munich–Los Angeles and Zurich–Tokyo as early as the 2026 summer IATA season, with entirely new services pencilled in for 2027.
Amid these network expansions, corporate travellers should also plan for evolving visa requirements on intercontinental itineraries. VisaHQ’s Germany portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) streamlines application processes for dozens of destination countries, offering real-time updates, document checks and courier support, so travel managers can align visa lead times with Lufthansa’s newly scheduled frequencies.
For travel managers, more capacity typically translates into better inventory across business-class fare buckets and increased negotiating leverage in corporate-deal renewals. However, Spohr hinted that yield-management tools will prioritise dynamic pricing, meaning advance-purchase windows may still be critical for discounted C-class seats.
The expansion comes as Lufthansa finalises a part-time collective agreement with cabin-crew union UFO, designed to improve rostering flexibility and cut sick-leave costs. The pact could bolster operational reliability—a lingering pain point for multinationals after last winter’s strike-related cancellations.
Risks remain: delivery delays from Boeing and Airbus have already pushed some A350 and 787 handovers into late 2026, and any slippage could compress peak-season capacity. Nonetheless, Germany-based corporates with trans-pacific or Latin-American footprints should anticipate more non-stop options that can shave hours off multi-leg routings via other European hubs.
