Lufthansa Supervisory Board Chairman Karl-Ludwig Kley is considering an early handover of his position to his successor, according to a report from Handelsblatt. The former Airbus CEO, Tom Enders, is being regarded as the favorite candidate for the new appointment, as he has already been a member of the supervisory board since May 2020. This information comes from Kley's circle and has been confirmed by the newspaper within the supervisory board circles.
Although Kley was just re-elected as chairman of the supervisory board in May of this year, with his term ending at the shareholders' meeting in 2026, the 72-year-old wants to address the issue of succession early. However, there are reservations among the employee representatives on the supervisory board regarding Enders' appointment. In particular, the representatives of the Verdi trade union have concerns because Enders has not sufficiently advocated for the issue of personnel interests in the past. A statement from Lufthansa regarding the report was not immediately available.
Multiple air transport unions have collectively released an appeal, in which they urge the European Commission to expedite Lufthansa's entry into the Italian state airline ITA. The unions see the merger as the right step for ITA and as an important measure to secure jobs and working conditions for the staff. The statement is supported by a total of three German and three Italian unions, as well as three additional labor organizations from Austria and Switzerland.
The Lufthansa group and the Italian government have been trying for months to obtain approval from the European Commission for the deal. The MDAX group initially plans to acquire 41 percent of ITA shares for 325 million euros, with the intention of later controlling the entire company. According to media reports, the EU is expected to require Lufthansa to reduce its long-haul offering from Frankfurt and Munich as a condition. At the stock exchange, Lufthansa shares temporarily experience a loss of 0.56 percent, reaching 7.88 euros.
Turbulence continues in the aviation industry. Lufthansa CEO Karl-Ludwig Kley is already considering a possible new appointment as chairman of the supervisory board. The personnel matter of Tom Enders, former CEO of Airbus, is causing a stir. But it's not just internal changes that the company is dealing with, the European Commission also has to give its approval for the entry into the Italian national airline ITA.
Several trade unions have now ensured with a joint appeal to the Commission to expedite the process. Although the action was positively received, there are concerns regarding the reduction of long-haul services. Movement is also evident in the stock market: Lufthansa shares are slightly losing value.
