Lufthansa Group has warned that the cost of fuel in 2026 will be higher than previously expected, surpassing the 1.5 billion euros figure announced in August. During a press meeting in Frankfurt on Monday, September 28, Chief Executive Carsten Spohr said that the company’s fuel-related expenses for the year would be greater than initially projected, though he did not share a new estimate. Lufthansa had previously estimated a total fuel bill of 8.66 billion euros for 2026. To manage fuel price volatility, Lufthansa has secured 86% of its fuel needs for 2026, compared to just over half for 2027. However, this does not fully protect the company from the rising costs. In the second quarter of 2026, fuel expenses rose by about 750 million euros compared to the same period in 2025. This increase contributed to an adjusted operating profit of 383 million euros, down from 870 million euros in the second quarter of 2025. Despite these financial pressures, Spohr confirmed that Lufthansa still aims for an adjusted operating profit between 1.7 and 2.2 billion euros in 2026. He noted that there has been an increase in bookings for Premium Economy and Business class, which generate higher revenue but are not yet enough to fully counterbalance the rising fuel costs expected by the end of the year. To cut fuel use, Lufthansa announced in April that it would retire its last four A340-600 aircraft in October and ground two 747-400 aircraft during the winter of 2026-2027. The company aims for an operating margin of 8% to 10% by 2028-2030. However, the ongoing rise in fuel costs continues to pose a challenge to achieving this goal.