Lufthansa To Sell All Its CRJ-900s

Lufthansa will move ahead with the formal sale of its CityLine CRJ-900 fleet following the accelerated closure of this division in April 2026.

The German flag-carrier confirmed to aero.de that the sale will represent the final step in its long-planned regional reset that has been years in the making.

The older CRJ-900s, once workhorses for CityLine’s network, will instead be dismantled as Lufthansa moves to a simplified short‑haul model at City Airlines that includes next-generation Airbus jets such as the A220.

CRJ-900s Will Be Retired For Good

Carsten Spohr, the Lufthansa CEO, has confirmed that all the remaining 23 CRJ-900s are up for sale, going so far as to say that several buyers are currently interested in acquiring the jets.

As part of the sale process, Lufthansa will seek the highest possible bids; however, Spohr is aware that the market valuation of these jets is small, and that interest, while present, is limited given their age, the spare‑parts market, and current use cases in the industry.

While some CRJ-900s have a realistic chance of finding a new home, instead of all heading back into airline service, there’s also a high likelihood others will be scrapped for parts and then reenter the spare-parts pool to support existing CRJs still flying.

Spohr believes that, if the CRJ‑900s are acquired to remain in service, the United States is the most likely market to receive the jets. For example, in 2025, SkyWest Airlines signed a deal to acquire more of the model to support its fleet.

By the time CityLine was shut down, the CRJ-900s were already on the path out of service, with aircraft being parked. Lufthansa formally withdrew the jets from service when CityLine operations ended in April 2026, a year earlier than planned.

While CityLine will cease to exist, the shift towards City Airlines will see a larger focus on efficiency and a fleet model that shows similarities to other Lufthansa Group airlines, therefore leaving no place for the CRJ-900.

Why Did CityLine Collapse So Early?

Lufthansa CityLine was always intended to be closed; however, that closure was expected in early 2027 rather than early 2026, and the shutdown was therefore sped up due to mounting pressure.

Rising fuel prices coming from instability in the Middle East hammered margins and finances at the airline. Furthermore, labour costs put additional pressure on the division that was already planning to be cut. These constraints pushed Lufthansa to take the short-term hit of removing the division in favour of the long-term benefits.

CityLine had become expensive for Lufthansa to operate, not just due to higher fuel prices but also due to industrial action. The persistent shifts of subsidiaries within the Group were part of efforts to mitigate strike action.

During the resolution stages with employees and unions, fresh contracts were agreed. While this alleviated the risk of strikes, it put pressure on margins. The persistent shift of subsidiaries has now been a tactic to show employees and unions that brands can be disposed of for new entities under different regulations.

Lufthansa’s fleet was already inefficient and too costly to keep. Still, the need to renegotiate contract terms with employees and rising costs on all fronts made it nearly impossible to keep the business viable in its current form. The airline’s uncompetitive nature became clear, making its role redundant and closure simpler.