Eurowings Appoints Matthias Spohr as Chief Operating Officer in 2026

Germany – Lufthansa Group airline Eurowings has formally appointed Matthias Spohr as Chief Operating Officer from October 1, 2026, moving the former Lufthansa Aviation Training Managing Director into an airline role covering Flight Operations, Crew Operations, Crew Training, safety and technical fleet management.

• Spohr joins Eurowings’ three-member Executive Board alongside CEO Max Kownatzki and CFO Kai Duve, succeeding Edi Wolfensberger, who has moved to Lufthansa Group leisure airline Edelweiss as Chief Executive Officer.
• His operational remit covers Crew Operations, Flight Operations, Ground Operations & IOCC, Safety, Security & Compliance Monitoring, Crew Training and Technical Fleet Management / Eurowings Technik. The inclusion of Crew Training places cockpit and cabin training oversight within the COO portfolio.
• The appointment brings Spohr back to Eurowings after previously serving as Head of Flight Operations at Eurowings Germany and Nominated Person Flight Operations from 2015 to 2021. He had joined Germanwings in 2013 as Head of the Airbus A320 fleet.
• From 2021 until the Eurowings move, Spohr headed Lufthansa Aviation Training, where his responsibilities included the restructuring and relaunch of the European Flight Academy, development of the group’s pilot-training activities and expansion into additional training business areas.
• Spohr’s own flight background began with Lufthansa flight training in Bremen in 1990. He subsequently flew Airbus A320 and A340 aircraft for Lufthansa and completed A320 captain training at Condor Berlin in 2005.
• The move follows the September opening of the first joint Eurowings and Lufthansa Aviation Training Crew Training Centre in Düsseldorf. The 2,000-square-meter facility can accommodate up to 150 trainees per day and is used by both cockpit and cabin crews, with Virtual Reality training capability planned from 2027.
• Eurowings operates 98 Airbus A320-family aircraft as of July 31, 2026: 29 A319-100s, 50 A320-200s, eight A320neos, six A321-200s and five A321neos.

Statements

• “I’m thrilled to welcome Matthias Spohr back to Eurowings. He knows our company, our flight operations and, most importantly, the people who work with tremendous passion and personal commitment for our guests every single day. Matthias brings not only extensive aviation experience, but also a genuine enthusiasm for Eurowings, innovation and teamwork. This combination, together with his energy and strong connection to our company, will be a tremendous asset. Together, we want to shape the future of Eurowings and open the next chapter in our success story,” said Max Kownatzki, CEO of Eurowings.

Source: Eurowings