Lufthansa expects the burden from Germany's air travel tax, emissions trading, a night flight ban at Frankfurt airport and other items to exceed EUR€700 million (USD$913 million) this year, its chief executive said.
Germany's biggest carriers Lufthansa and Air Berlin have been very vocal in their opposition to levies that they say hit airlines as they battle high fuel prices, a weak economy and fierce competition from fast-growing low-cost carriers and Middle East carriers.
Lufthansa CEO Christoph Franz said at Lufthansa's annual general meeting on Tuesday that he expects Germany's biggest airline to spend about EUR€100 million this year on a European Union emissions trading scheme that started in January.
He added that figure would reach a significant three-digit million euro sum a year in the medium term.
Separately, Lufthansa named Simone Menne as new chief financial officer. She is the first female CFO of a German blue-chip company.
Menne will assume office on July 1, Lufthansa said.
She was previously finance chief of British airline bmi, which Lufthansa recently sold to IAG.
