Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt International) could divert capacity away from its Frankfurt International hub if the airport's fees remain too high, focusing instead on Munich, Zurich or Vienna. Executive Board member Harry Hohmeister revealed the tough stance during an interview with German travel magazine fvw.

"Frankfurt is simply too expensive," Hohmeister told the publication.

When pressed on the specifics of how Lufthansa would redeploy its capacity, Hohmeister said that the airline's close integration with Swiss (LX, Zurich) and Austrian Airlines (OS, Vienna) would make it possible.

"In the future, Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian Airlines will be able to achieve this by means of the joint, fully dynamic control we are currently building, as well as the integrated sales that already stand. The aircraft can then be operated in Munich or Zurich, instead of in Frankfurt, by means of integrated transport services."

Last year, Frankfurt airport announced a new fee structure which incentivises airlines to increase passenger numbers. Lufthansa says that the new structure will lead to an increase in its costs of 1.9%, and believes that the incentives will benefit newcomers to Frankfurt over established carriers. Speaking with Reuters, Kepler Cheuvreux analyst Ruxandra Haradau-Doeser said that to benefit from the incentives, Lufthansa would have to increase its passenger numbers by at least 3% a year.

In a statement released at the time, Hohmeister called the fee increase 'incomprehensible'.

"Whilst the charges in London and Amsterdam are going down, those in Frankfurt, which is also one of the most expensive European airports, have increased. A further increase in costs is incomprehensible and will endanger potential growth," Hohmeister said.

In the fvw interview, Hohmeister said that negotiations with Vienna airport to develop its hub there are progressing well, and that Zurich and Munich are similarly matched for price. He said that with Frankfurt's costs sometimes as much as 20% above that of other hubs, it is logical to divert traffic away from it.

"We will control our customers through the hubs where we can achieve the highest margin contributions," Hohmeister said.

More than 30% of Lufthansa's capacity goes through Frankfurt, with more than 500,000 seats per week.