Lufthansa Group has names Max Kownatzki as the new chief executive officer of budget carrier Eurowings, starting 1 February 2026.
Currently the CEO of Turkish-German airline SunExpress, Kownatzki succeeds Jens Bischof, who will step down at the end of the year after five years in the top job.
Lufthansa Group chairman 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.”
Prior to his role at SunExpress, Kownatzki served as SVP of network planning and strategic alliances for Lufthansa Group’s hub airlines. This included working as chief commercial officer for Eurowings Europe, and later as SVP responsible for Eurowings’ business development. He also co-founded air ticket distribution platform HopAcross in 2014, and prior to that served as executive manager, group strategy, for Jetstar Airways.
Meanwhile, Marcus Schnabel, who currently serves as head of ground operations for Lufthansa Airlines in Munich, will assume the CEO role at SunExpress, effective February.