Discover Airlines Appoints Ulrich Lindner as New Chief Executive Officer

Discover Airlines has appointed Ulrich Lindner as the carrier’s new CEO effective December 1, 2025.  He will succeed Bernd Bauer, who will now fully focus on his other role as CEO of Edelweiss.

Discover Airlines' Incoming CEO, Ulrich Lindner - Courtesy Discover Airlines

On Tuesday (September 16, 2025), Discover Airlines announced the appointment of Ulrich Lindner as CEO effective December 1, 2025.  Mr. Lindner will succeed Bernd Bauer, who will now focus exclusively on his role as CEO of Edelweiss.  Based on size and growth of both Lufthansa Group airlines, the two companies will return to being managed separately.  Over the last three years, Bernd Bauer led the stabilization of Discover Airlines operationally and commercially, and successfully lead it to profitability.

In Tuesday’s announcement, Lufthansa Airlines' Executive Board Member and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Discover Airlines, Heiko Reitz, said,

“I am delighted that Ulrich Lindner, an experienced and accomplished airline expert, is taking over the management of Discover Airlines. With his extensive expertise in the commercial sector, he will continue the highly successful journey of Discover Airlines and drive the airline's growth with new aircraft, new destinations, and an expanding team.  I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Bernd Bauer for his outstanding commitment to Discover Airlines.  The fact that the airline not only has enthusiastic guests but is also financially successful today, just four years after its founding, is largely thanks to him.  I am delighted that Bernd Bauer will continue to contribute his expertise as CEO of Edelweiss, Switzerland's leading holiday airline.”

Currently, Ulrich Lindner heads the Group’s Offer Steering and Ancillaries division, where, along with his team, develops tailor-made commercial offers for global markets, taking into account different customer groups, needs, and purchasing behavior.  Revenue management plays a central role in this process, contributing to the optimization of offers with targeted pricing and control instruments.

Mr. Lindner started his career at the Lufthansa Group over 25 years ago, and has since held numerous management positions.  He was responsible for long-haul network planning for all of the Group’s passenger airlines, held commercial responsibility for Lufthansa Aviation Training, and held various other management positions in controlling. Ulrich Lindner studied business administration, and he is married with three children.

Bernd Bauer took on the role of CEO of Discover Airlines in October 2022, in addition to his position as CEO of Edelweiss. Under his leadership, Discover Airlines grew significantly, establishing itself as a major player in the leisure travel market.  During this time, the carrier revamped their brand image, expanded their route network, and successfully opened a second base in Munich.   Headquartered in Frankfurt, Discover Airlines was founded in 2021 and modeled after Edelweiss.  The carrier currently operates a fleet of 30 aircraft, and employs approximately 2,100 team members.  Bernd Bauer has served as CEO of Switzerland’s Edelweiss since 2014.

Source: Discover Airlines