‘Mr Lufthansa’: Former CEO and Star Alliance co-founder Jürgen Weber passes away

The former CEO of Lufthansa and co-founder of Star Alliance Jürgen Weber has passed away at the age of 83, the German flag carrier announced.  

Affectionately known as ‘Mr Lufthansa’, Weber first joined the airline as a young engineer in 1967 and remained Honorary Chairman of the Supervisory Board until his passing on May 12, 2025.  

From 1991 until 2003 he led the company as CEO and from 2003 to 2013 he was Chairman of the Supervisory Board.  

Carsten Spohr, the current CEO of Lufthansa, said Weber was “rightly” known as Mr Lufthansa after dedicating his life to the company.  

“Like no other, Jürgen Weber embodied the renewal of Lufthansa during its restructuring and privatization in the 1990s. Crucial decisions and developments at Deutsche Lufthansa AG are – and will remain – inextricably linked to his name,” said Spohr 

He added: “We at Lufthansa owe Jürgen Weber a debt of gratitude for his outstanding service to the Lufthansa Group. Our thoughts are now with his family.” 

In a statement Lufthansa said Weber was “responsible for the reorganization, restructuring and privatization of the airline” and set the airline “back on course to success, demonstrating his strategic foresight already in the 1990s” 

In a tribute Karl-Ludwig Kley, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, said that without Weber the “Lufthansa as we know it today would be unthinkable”. 

“He understood the unifying power of air travel. The founding of the Star Alliance and the expansion of Frankfurt Airport are largely his achievements. He had an equally strong impact within the company. No one else appealed to the hearts and minds of the employees as much as Jürgen Weber. No one else shaped the culture of Lufthansa as he did,” said Kley 

He added: “We bow our heads in respect for the life’s work of an exceptional person. Jürgen Weber will always have a place of honor in the history of our company.” 

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