Internal plans show German managers want to take control of Swiss
An internal paper is causing unrest: Lufthansa wants to control central functions of Swiss in Frankfurt in future. Under the project name "Matrix Next Level", the airline is threatened with the loss of important competencies.
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- According to an internal paper, central Swiss functions are to be relocated to Frankfurt from 2026.
- Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr wants to achieve efficiency and increase profits in this way.
- Swiss emphasizes that it wants to continue to decide independently on its services.
Swiss is facing a far-reaching reorganization within the Lufthansa Group. As reported by the "Handelsblatt" newspaper, an internal paper is available that envisages far-reaching centralization under the project name "Matrix Next Level". According to the paper, areas such as the route network, sales and loyalty programs are to be managed by Lufthansa headquarters in Frankfurt in future.
The Group's premium airlines - including Swiss - would focus on the in-flight experience, while strategic decisions would be made in Germany. The timetable has already been set: Implementation is due to start at the beginning of 2026.
Criticism from experts
For Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr, the realignment is a necessary step to increase profitability and customer satisfaction. After all, while Swiss has been making profits for years, other airlines in the Group are struggling with red figures.
Industry experts are critical of the plans. Gerald Wissel from the consultancy firm Airborne Consulting told Handelsblatt: "It simply doesn't fit that the CEO of a group airline is responsible for sales and earnings, but at the same time is no longer allowed to make decisions about the fleet, flight schedule and pricing alone." Wissel speaks openly of a development in which airlines are "only production platforms".
"Swiss remains a strong airline"
When asked by the news agency AWP, Swiss confirmed that the Lufthansa Group was reviewing its organizational structure. "We can confirm that the Lufthansa Group is reviewing its organizational structure together with the Group airlines," the airline said. It is examining "in which areas we can benefit even more from the synergies of a strong group".
At the same time, the airline emphasized its independence: "It is important for us to say that Swiss will remain a strong airline. In future, it should continue to be able to make its own decisions about its services."
Swiss did not say whether the restructuring would result in the loss of jobs in Switzerland.
