Maintaining balance. Out of responsibility. Lufthansa Group publishes 25th sustainability report

The Lufthansa Group recently published its 25th sustainability report. For a quarter of a century, the company has been providing information, every year, on the various activities, programs and advances, but also challenges, in the area of corporate responsibility under the title “Balance”. In 2018, once again in cooperation with its interest groups, the Group identified the key areas for current reporting in a large-scale stakeholder survey. The results are published in the sustainability report as a materiality analysis.

Responsibility for the environment and society is a central strategic principle for the Lufthansa Group. For years, the company has been strongly committed to limiting the environmental impact of its business activities to the unavoidable minimum – in the air and on the ground. The cover story, “Maintaining balance. Out of responsibility.”, chronicles what the Lufthansa Group has achieved since 1994 in terms of sustainability, and takes a look at future commitments: “Being an aviation group, we are aware of the fact that the past years’ growth in passenger numbers also implies growing responsibility for us to ensure that future mobility will be shaped in environmentally compatible ways. To reach this goal, we continuously invest in new and especially efficient aircraft. We intend to take a leadership role within the aviation industry on the topic of responsibility,” writes Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, in the preface of the sustainability report.

The airlines of the Lufthansa Group have not only increased their fuel efficiency by 30 percent since 1994; they also set a new efficiency record in 2018: On average, the passenger airlines used only 3.65 liters of kerosene to fly a passenger 100 kilometers. That is an improvement of 0.8 percent and the lowest figure in the company’s history.

The new record is largely due to the sustainable fleet renewal program and numerous fuel efficiency projects. The Lufthansa Group is not only a pioneer in the introduction of new, environmentally friendly technologies – it also invests continuously in the optimization of its existing fleet. As recently as March this year, the Group ordered 40 state-of-the-art Boeing 787-9 and Airbus A350-900 long-haul aircraft, considered the most fuel-efficient in their class. In total, the Lufthansa Group currently has 210 new aircraft on order, with delivery dates until 2027 (as of May 7, 2019). Lufthansa will be one of the first airlines worldwide to receive the Boeing 777-9 in the summer of 2020. The Group ordered a total of 20 of these particularly efficient long-haul aircraft.

With over 135,000 employees worldwide, from 176 nations, the Lufthansa Group is an international company (1994: 57,798 employees from 91 countries). Diversity and equal opportunity, respect for human rights, as well as respect and appreciation shape our company, as well as our actions toward customers and suppliers. These and other values and standards are documented in the Lufthansa Group Code of Conduct, which was adopted in 2017.

As a corporate citizen, the aviation group has also been involved in matters of social and societal significance for 20 years with its charitable aid organization help alliance. Since 1999, the help alliance has invested 17 million euros in aid projects, helping 23,000 disadvantaged people per year, around the world, to lead self-determined lives.

The 25th sustainability report Balance is published exclusively as a digital edition and is now available at lufthansagroup.com/responsibility. To commemorate the 25th edition of the report, the Lufthansa Group published the video, “Maintaining balance. Out of responsibility. 25 years of reporting on sustainability and the environment.”

About the Lufthansa Group
The Lufthansa Group is an aviation company with operations worldwide. With 142 million passengers in 2018, the Lufthansa Group is number one in Europe’s airline sector. The Lufthansa Group aims to be the first choice for customers, employees, shareholders and partners in the aviation industry and to continue shaping the global aviation market as a key player in the future.
The Lufthansa Group is composed of the three business segments Network Airlines, Eurowings and Aviation Services (comprising the segments Logistics, MRO and Catering). The Group’s Network Carriers comprise Lufthansa, SWISS and Austrian Airlines. With their multi-hub strategy from Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich and Vienna hubs, the Network Airlines offer their passengers a premium product and a comprehensive route network combined with the highest level of travel flexibility. With Eurowings, the Lufthansa Group has an innovative and competitive offering in direct traffic, which addresses both price-sensitive and service-oriented customers with low-cost basic fares and additional service options that can be booked flexibly. The aviation services are all global market leaders in their individual industries. This way, the Lufthansa Group has found success in further areas of the aviation business.
The Lufthansa Group’s airlines currently (i.e. as of Summer 2019) serve 318 destinations in 102 countries on five continents. The Group’s total fleet comprises 763 aircraft, employs around 135,000 personnel and generated a revenue of EUR 35.8 billion in 2018.