Lufthansa Appoints Eurowings Chief

Thorsten Dirks has been appointed to Lufthansa’s supervisory board, responsible for the development and expansion of low-cost subsidiary Eurowings.

Dirks joined the Lufthansa Group from Spanish-owned German telecom company Telefonica Deutschland where he is chief executive. His appointment, for a term of three years, is effective from May 1, 2017.

Lufthansa chief executive Carsten Spohr said Dirks “has shown that he achieves economic success with firm cost control. He has demonstrated his ability to increase customer focus with immense innovative energy.”

Lufthansa is positioning Eurowings as a low cost carrier to rival Ryanair and easyJet in an attempt to win back market share.