Lufthansa suffered a 6.1% drop in passenger carryings to 26.7 million in the first half of the year.
The German carrier said “persistent economic downturn worldwide” had reduced passenger numbers in the first six months of 2009.
Passenger numbers dropped in all regions except the Middle East and Africa, the airline said.
Lufthansa and partner SWISS carried 33.2 million people in the period, down 4.8% year-on-year.
The number of flights operated by the Lufthansa group declined by almost five per cent to 393,896 in the half year.
First half financial results are due to be published on July 30.
by Phil Davies
