FRANKFURT, Germany šC At Lufthansa¡¯s base overlooking Frankfurt¡¯s bustling international airport, Chief Executive Carsten Spohr has his eye firmly on his sprawling airline empire as giant screens flash flight delay data and other performance indicators in the background.
Spohr, a straight-talking former pilot, shows no sign of loosening his grip after more than a decade steering a firm that spans Germany¡¯s flagship carrier to ITA Airways and Eurowings, including through the pandemic and a deadly crash in 2015.
One of the most prominent ¡ª and at times divisive ¡ª airline chiefs, Spohr is looking to use his crisis experience to ride out challenges ranging from geopolitical disruption to plane delivery delays, and keep wary investors onside after years of slipping shares and damaging fights with unions. Spohr said that he was focused on efficiencies, centralizing management of the group¡¯s 12 airlines and betting on more long-haul flights in the year ahead.
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