Lufthansa expects its fuel bill to reach €9.3 billion in 2026, almost €2 billion ($2.24 billion) higher than last year, as the war between the United States and Iran keeps global energy prices high. The German airline group set out the figure on Tuesday as it released its third-quarter results.

The €9.3 billion estimate is €600 million above what the group had anticipated only a few months earlier, a revision it tied directly to the Iran war dragging on. Alongside the heavier fuel forecast, Lufthansa trimmed its outlook for core profit in 2026 to a range of between €1.7 billion and €2.0 billion. It had previously guided towards a range of between €1.7 billion and €2.2 billion.

The downgrade came in a quarter that otherwise read well. Net profit for July to September jumped 30% to €1.26 billion, beating forecasts, with the group pointing to strong demand for premium tickets to Asia and North America. Revenue rose 9% from a year earlier to €12.2 billion.

Fuel remained the drag. The group's fuel costs in the quarter were more than €500 million higher than a year earlier, a gap that weighed on the result even as passenger numbers held up.

The group said it had improved on the previous year's result and was satisfied with that, despite higher fuel costs weighing on the quarterly result by more than half a billion euros, with the outcome supported by robust demand in passenger traffic.

The group operates several carriers beyond its flagship brand, including Swiss, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings. Last year's fuel costs sat roughly €2 billion below the new 2026 projection.