Lufthansa Chair: collaboration with SWISS key to airline success

Lufthansa supervisory board chairman Harry H. Teyssen said the airline group should focus on cooperation rather than arguing about differences between brands. In an interview with the Swiss paper Neue Zürcher Zeitung, he said there is “only cooperation, not an either/or situation,” stressing that flying is a business built on economies of scale. Teyssen addressed Swiss concerns about SWISS, arguing the carrier’s independence within the Lufthansa group is necessary for survival in a market that would otherwise not be supported by single players. He also pointed to the risk of international competitors pulling out during crises such as the financial downturn and Covid-19. He said his role is to “tackle” weaknesses, but specific measures were not yet ready, citing the group’s complexity.