Two Lufthansa Group linked airlines have appointed new CEOs from the company’s own ranks during a busy day of leadership changes.
On December 11, 2025, Lufthansa-owned Eurowings announced that the CEO of SunExpress, Max Kownatzki, would join be joining the German leisure carrier following six years leading SunExpress.
SunExpress, which is jointly owned by Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, then announced that Kownatzki’s replacement would be the current Head of Ground Operations for Lufthansa Airlines in Munich, Marcus Schnabel.
The changes at Lufthansa airlines were triggered after the current Eurowings CEO, Jens Bischof, decided to step down at the end of the year after more than five years leading the carrier.
Both Kownatzki and Schnabel will assume their new roles as CEOs of Eurowings and SunExpress respectively, on February 1, 2026.
For Kownatzki it will be a relatively straightforward step after previously serving as the Chief Commercial Officer of Eurowings. He has also held roles at the Jetstar Group and as a member of the supervisory board of Air Dolomiti.
Commenting on the new CEO of Eurowings, Head of Lufthansa Group Carsten Spohr said: “With Max Kownatzki, we are gaining a top manager for Eurowings who will continue the company’s successful course. His experience as CEO of SunExpress, his strategic foresight, and his high standards for operational excellence make him the ideal candidate for this role.”
On the appointment of Schnabel as CEO of SunExpress, Chairman of the Board at Turkish Airlines, Ahmet Bolat, said: “I am very pleased that Marcus Schnabel will be taking on the role of CEO at SunExpress. With a sterling record of leadership and a deep understanding of SunExpress’s mission, he embodies the qualities necessary to navigate the airline through its next phase of growth. Under his guidance, I have full confidence that SunExpress will maintain its strong performance in the coming period and strengthen its position as a leading brand in the leisure airline market.”
#CEOmeeting today with Jens Bischof from Eurowings onboard Airbus A321neo D-AEEA from DUS to PMI. Jens was serving fresh coffee, giving him the new position as „Chief Espresso Officer“. Looking forward to our interview here in Palma.#hofmannaviation #luftfahrtexperte pic.twitter.com/E9fZtnoeIy
— Kurt Hofmann (@HofmannAviation) September 3, 2025
Spohr also paid tribute to departing the departing CEO of Eurowings, who he praised for his leadership after over 35 years in senior positions within the Lufthansa Group.
“Jens Bischof has significantly shaped and advanced Eurowings over the past five years. He has transformed the airline into Germany’s leading leisure carrier in the highly competitive point-to-point market while also repositioning it as a European carrier with international bases. Under his leadership, Eurowings has successfully embarked on the path of profitability,” added Spohr.