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STORY: Lufthansa wants to revive its core airline by 2026.

That was the vow from the airline group's chief executive Carsten Spohr late Monday (September 30).

Lufthansa is one of Europe's top carriers but has struggled more than its regional rivals with higher costs and delays in Boeing plane deliveries.

Spohr described the Lufthansa airline as the German group's "problem child", and said it must be turned around for the wider company's success.

He said the goal was to make Lufthansa the group's flagship once again for its 100th birthday in two years.

The comment comes as investors worry about the group's third-quarter results due later this month.

Shares have fallen 10% over the last six months, and Lufthansa has issued two profit warnings this year.

The carrier has faced spiraling wage costs, a squeeze on ticket prices and a tough aviation market.

Spohr said the delayed delivery of new jets had made ongoing issues worse, and hit Lufthansa "disproportionately" hard.

Lufthansa is still waiting for 41 new Boeing planes to arrive, with the jets on order already facing years-long delays.

Spohr said it forced the airline to keep using older Airbus planes the group had hoped to retire before the pandemic.

He added it hurt Lufthansa's ability to expand services on profitable routes and boost efficiency as newer planes use less jet fuel.

Other European airlines like Ryanair have also been hurt by Boeing's long delivery delays.