Lufthansa closes 2023 with net profit of 1.7 billion
The Lufthansa Group ended 2023 with a net profit of 1.7 billion euros, more than doubled compared to the 790 million in 2022. Among other data, the turnover rose to 35.4 billion euros, with a +15%, the adjusted operating profit rose to 2.7 billion euros from 1.5 billion previously, while the Ebit margin went from 4.9% to 7.6%. The number of passengers increased sharply, for a total of 123 million, up 20% compared to 102 million in 2022. The airlines of the Lufthansa Group increased the number of flights offered by 14% to 946,000. On average, airlines offered 84% of 2019 capacity last year. Seat occupancy improved by 3.1 percentage points to around 83%, returning to pre-crisis levels.
Ita Airways-Lufthansa: “We await the EU Commission's approval within the year”
“Lufthansa awaits approval from the European Commission for an investment in the Italian airline Ita Airways later this year. The Lufthansa group is working closely and constructively with the European Commission to obtain a rapid conclusion and subsequent implementation of the transaction”. This was stated by Lufthansa in the press release released this morning on the 2023 accounts. “With the planned investment in Ita Airways – he adds – the Lufthansa group is continuing the internationalization of the company in order to better exploit the interesting growth opportunities abroad”.
Ita Airways: 475 new hires in 2024 and the agreement with Emirates
Ita Airways is planning an expansion of its operations, especially during the summer season. According to what was reported by Corriere della Serathis would include launching a recruitment drive and signing a memorandum of understanding with Emirates for future codeshare agreements. The company's seat offering will increase by 15% in 2024 compared to 2023, from 20.4 million to 23.5 million seats, according to data provided by specialized platform Cirium.
To support this growth, Ita is looking to hire 475 new employees, therefore 90 pilots, 330 flight attendants and 55 ground staff to man the new airports reached by the company's flights. The executive president Antonino Turicchi had already anticipated the need to increase staff at the end of January, in anticipation of the new connections.
Furthermore, during 2024, the company will operate on 57 destinations, of which 16 national, 26 international and 15 intercontinental, with a further 10 summer destinations. New routes will be launched in April to Chicago, in May to Toronto and Riyadh, in June to Accra and Kuwait City, in July to Dakar and in August to Jeddah. The target? Carry 20 million passengers in 2024 and increase turnover from 2.4 to 3.4 billion euros, compared to the previous year.
The recent agreement (memorandum of understanding) signed by Ita Airways with Emirates to expand the existing partnership into a complete codeshare agreement and have more intercontinental flights fits into this context. The agreement will offer greater travel opportunities and connections for passengers between Dubai, Italy and other destinations within their respective networks. Thanks to this agreement, Emirates passengers will be able to access numerous Italian cities through the ITA hub in Rome Fiumicino, as well as European capitals and other major cities.
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