Bernd Bauer hands over the lead of Edelweiss to Edi Wolfensberger

The Lufthansa Group Executive Board has appointed Edi Wolfensberger as the new CEO of Edelweiss. He will take over the helm at Edelweiss on 1 October 2026 from Bernd Bauer, who is leaving the company after twelve successful years at the helm.

Edi Wolfensberger has many years’ leadership experience in the aviation industry and has been Chief Operating Officer (COO) and a member of the Executive Board at Eurowings since April 2022. Previously, the 45-year-old Swiss national served, amongst other roles, as COO of Brussels Airlines and Managing Director of Lufthansa Aviation Training Switzerland AG. He began his career in 2008 at SWISS, where he held various positions in the finance and commercial departments.

Edi Wolfensberger says: “It is a great honour for me to take over the helm at Edelweiss. Bernd Bauer and his team have developed the company superbly in recent years and successfully positioned it as a premium holiday airline. I am very much looking forward to continuing this success story together with the staff and leading Edelweiss into the future.”

Bernd Bauer had a decisive influence on Edelweiss during his twelve-year tenure. Under his leadership, the company developed from a holiday airline with just under 500 employees into a leading Swiss premium holiday airline, which today employs almost 1,700 people. During this period, the route network was expanded from around 40 to over 100 destinations, the number of passengers carried tripled, and the fleet and product range were continuously modernised. At the same time, he gave the Edelweiss brand a fresh and contemporary image and strengthened its positioning as a premium holiday airline. Key milestones include the expansion of the long-haul business with the introduction of the Airbus A340, and more recently the introduction of the Airbus A350 and the new generation of cabins. Furthermore, Bernd Bauer successfully steered Edelweiss through the COVID-19 pandemic and laid the foundations for the company’s current strength.

Dieter Vranckx, Chief Commercial Officer of the Lufthansa Group, says: “Throughout his exceptional career within the Lufthansa Group, Bernd Bauer has played a pivotal role in advancing the holiday airline sector and has thus made a significant contribution to the success of the entire Group. He has made Discover Airlines a success during a challenging period and developed Edelweiss into a flagship airline within the Lufthansa Group – always demonstrating entrepreneurial vision and courage, passion, a strong team spirit and outstanding leadership. Through his excellent management, Bernd Bauer has paved the way for sustainable and, consequently, successful growth at both airlines.”

Bernd Bauer says: “Edelweiss has always been a labour of love for me. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all my colleagues at Edelweiss and across the Lufthansa Group for their trust and excellent cooperation. I have thoroughly enjoyed the past few years. I am proud of what we have achieved together, and I am convinced that Edelweiss will continue to be successful in the future.”

Bernd Bauer turned 60 last year. Within the Lufthansa Group, executives generally retire from operational duties upon reaching the age of 60. He began his career in aviation in 1994 at Crossair and held various management roles at SWISS from 2002 onwards, before taking over as head of Edelweiss in 2014. From 2022 to 2025, he also served as CEO of Lufthansa’s holiday airline, Discover Airlines, and successfully positioned the fledgling airline in the German leisure travel and tourism market.