Lufthansa Group has announced its destinations for summer 2026. They include 14,000 connections to 330 destinations across 100 countries across the group’s carriers. Alongside the new hub connections planned, there are also capacity increases set to come in for multiple pre-existing destinations. Frequency increases apply to Lufthansa, Discover Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Brussels Airlines, Edelweiss, and ITA Airways from their hubs in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, and Italy.

Discover these new long-haul routes and frequencies for both Lufthansa and its subsidiaries in this article, and the Airbus A350-900 that is set to make much of this expansion possible. We then consider the short-haul routes coming this summer across the Lufthansa Group, as well as the cuts that will be made by Lufthansa.

Lufthansa’s New Routes

Lufthansa itself has the most to announce in the Lufthansa Group. The carrier will increase its connections to a host of destinations from its hubs at Frankfurt and Munich. From Frankfurt, the carrier will fly to St Louis and Cape Town five times a week. Rio de Janeiro will be served six times a week. Meanwhile, Raleigh/Durham and Nairobi will be served daily. Washington, D.C., will see the most frequent flights of the new long-haul routes from Frankfurt, set to be served 14 times a week.

Lufthansa will also introduce new long-haul routes from Munich this summer. Two destinations were added this winter and will continue to be operated this summer: São Paulo (three flights a week) and Johannesburg. The airline confirms that these routes will use the Airbus A350-900.

The airline has made modest announcements for its short-haul European flights that will be introduced and expanded this summer. An example is Frankfurt-Trondheim, set to operate four times a week from May 1, 2026, and once from Munich. Flights to destinations like Bergen and Stavanger will also be expanded.

Airbus A350-900: The Plane Making These Routes Possible

As noted by Lufthansa Group, many of these routes will be flown by the carrier’s Airbus A350-900. It has a fleet of 31 aircraft of this type with orders for 14 more. The carrier also has orders for 15 Airbus A350-1000s. Deliveries of these aircraft are expected to begin in 2026. Lufthansa received its first A350-900 on December 21, 2016. The carrier explained the importance of this jet for the fleet: “The A350-900 not only offers Lufthansa customers a top product on board, it is also extremely environmentally friendly, efficient and quiet. Compared to a Boeing 747-8, the Airbus A350-900 consumes around 12 percent less fuel and emits less CO2. »

The table below details key specifications for the Airbus A350-900 according to Lufthansa:

The carrier may hope to use the newly announced long-haul routes to repair the slightly tarnished reputation of its A350-900, amid issues with its Allegris seats. Passengers noticed in 2025 that the first row of economy class seats was blocked off. These were the new Allegris seats, which hadn’t received the required certification, so the airline couldn’t sell tickets for them. This row was directly behind premium economy. Without a bulkhead separating the classes, the seat needed an airbag due to the higher back of premium economy seats. It was this airbag that was awaiting certification.

New Routes For Lufthansa Group’s Subsidiaries

It’s not just the Lufthansa Group’s flagship carrier that has been expanding its network. Some of its subsidiaries are making new contributions to the long-haul market. Firstly, SWISS is set to offer daily flights to Tokyo in April, May, and October. Then, during the summer season, the carrier will fly to the Japanese capital five times a week. Next, Brussels Airlines will add Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) to its network, giving the Belgian airline its 18th sub-Saharan destination. The group refers to Brussels Airlines as « an Africa expert within the Lufthansa Group. » The flights to Kilimanjaro will reach a frequency of twice per week from June 2026. The carrier will also increase its flights to Freetown (Sierra Leone) from five to six flights per week. The additional trip will be on Thursdays.

Edelweiss is another carrier expanding its long-haul network. Beginning in June, the carrier will fly twice-weekly to Windhoek, Namibia. Other routes will have frequency increases, including Halifax, Cape Town, and Colombo. Lufthansa Group explains why: « Edelweiss is thus responding to the growing demand for diverse and attractive holiday destinations. »

Finally, Discover Airlines is expanding and increasing the frequency of selected long-haul routes. Namely, it had planned a winter-only route from Frankfurt to Seychelles. This service must have been a success as the carrier will now operate it year-round. Finally, this summer, the carrier will add a fifth weekly flight from Frankfurt to Los Angeles. The additional flight will be on Saturdays.

The Short Haul Announcement

A greater short-haul announcement has been made by the subsidiaries. Starting in March, SWISS will begin offering flights from Zurich to Poznan for the first time. A seasonal service to Rijeka in Croatia will also be added. SWISS also plans to increase its frequencies to popular European destinations, including Alicante, Valencia, Manchester, Montpellier, Tirana, Budapest, and Venice. Austrian Airlines plans to increase its offering to « coolcation » destinations. Flights to Sylt, Edinburgh, and the Lofoten Islands will be resumed and expanded in 2026.

ITA Airways has yet to release its full summer schedule. However, in a preview of what will be on offer, Lufthansa Group has announced that ITA Airways will return to London Heathrow with a twice-daily Rome Fiumicino–London Heathrow route. The summer will also see flights offered from Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate to popular vacation destinations in Greece, Spain, and the Italian islands. The same is the case for Brussels Airlines, which has only announced an increase in capacity in Spain, Portugal, and Italy.

Discover Airlines may have the most fleshed-out and enticing short-haul announcements for 2026. Firstly, it will fly to Shannon (Ireland) and Brindisi (Italy) for the first time. From the end of March, the carrier will fly from Frankfurt and Munich to Larnaca (Cyprus), another destination offered for the first time. Previously offered by Lufthansa, the flights will be twice daily on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from Frankfurt and twice daily on Fridays and Saturdays from Munich.

Service Cuts

Lufthansa Group has also announced plenty of service cuts set to come in this summer because of the high costs associated with flying to and from Germany. The carrier will reduce feeder route frequencies by 50 this summer, including on notable domestic routes like Frankfurt to Leipzig and Nuremberg this summer. Other routes remain under review to be included in the reductions, such as from Munich to Münster/Osnabrück or Dresden.

Further cuts will come in earlier. Routes set to be discontinued this spring include Frankfurt to Toulouse and Munich to Tallinn and Oviedo, citing « economic reasons ». Lufthansa Group reminds passengers they can still reach Tallinn and Oviedo from Frankfurt and Toulouse via Munich. Yet, with Frankfurt in Germany’s center and Munich in its south, a four-hour car journey between the two cities’ airports, these cuts will be a significant inconvenience to many passengers.

These measures come amid a persistent issues from Lufthansa amid high operating costs, a crowded marketplace, and inflexible labor agreements. Fresh fleet additions, an overhaul of staffing rules, and this shake-up to its network this summer could turn things around. Lufthansa CEO Jens Ritter spoke to reporters late last year, telling them that the carrier had met its 2025 targets and was “back on track to return to profitability.” It remains to be seen whether profitability can materialize.

It Isn’t Only The Lufthansa Network Getting An Overhaul

Much of Lufthansa’s strategy to return to profitability is based on investments in modern aircraft that have lower operating costs. Lufthansa stands out because it still operates many outdated aircraft, including Boeing 747s and Airbus A340s. Cirium data procured by Simple Flying reveals how Lufthansa is moving away from such jets. This winter, A340 operations fall 42% in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the first quarter of 2025.

The totals are 363 US-bound departures using the A340 in this quarter, compared with 625 in 2025. Routes like Frankfurt to Atlanta and Minneapolis will see an end to A340 services. Meanwhile, across the eight US destinations continuing to be run from Frankfurt, seven will see service reductions. This is all a far cry from when the A340, usually only flying from Frankfurt, returned to Munich in 2022. Back then, a Lufthansa spokesperson said: « The decision to reactivate these aircraft is due to growing premium demand, for business as well as leisure travel. Commencing in summer 2022, the A340-600s will fly from Munich primarily to North American and Asian destinations. »