Air India, Lufthansa Expand India-Europe Connectivity

• Air India signed a MoU with the Lufthansa Group to establish a joint business framework aimed at expanding connectivity between India and Europe
• The partnership will enhance codeshare networks, joint route planning, flight schedules, sales, marketing, and frequent flyer collaborations
• Air India and Lufthansa Group together currently codeshare on 145 routes across 44 cities in 20 countries

Air India and the Lufthansa Group recently established a Memorandum of Understanding, which will create a joint business framework to improve travel connections between India and Europe.

The Air India Lufthansa agreement strengthens India Europe flights through a strategic aviation partnership, expanding their codeshare deal, enhancing international air connectivity, reinforcing the airline alliance, and boosting India Europe travel under Lufthansa Group India.

The agreement includes Air India and all Lufthansa Group operating companies and their subsidiaries, including Air India Express, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, ITA Airways, Lufthansa and Swiss International Air Lines. The partnership operates through route business planning, which enables passengers to travel more conveniently between major destinations.

Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG and CEO of the Lufthansa Group stated, “Today's agreement with our long-standing Star Alliance partner Air India is a strong signal of our mutual determination to open a new chapter in aviation between the EU and India following the landmark trade agreement between both economic regions. Together with Air India, we will strengthen our access to the aviation market with the highest growth rates worldwide”.

“The Lufthansa Group is already the most successful and most popular European airline group among customers in India. In the future, we will contribute to deepening economic and cultural relations between India and Europe with even more connections. With our new long-haul aircraft and Lufthansa Allegris and SWISS Senses on board, we are offering a significantly improved premium travel experience in all classes on more and more routes, including to India”, he added.

The partnership will develop shared route systems through its existing codeshare agreements and through its joint membership in Star Alliance, while conducting flight schedule operations, joint sales and marketing and distribution activities.

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The airlines also plan to work together on frequent flyer programmes, IT systems, and customer experience and quality assurance, while needing to receive regulatory and anti-trust approvals.

The MoU will establish its initial focus on passenger traffic between India and the Lufthansa Group's main European markets, which include Germany, Austria, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland, while future expansion will occur throughout all European countries and the Indian subcontinent. The final route networks and operational details will undergo determination after the regulatory authorities grant their approval.

Both companies maintain codeshare agreements, which allow them to operate 145 flight paths that connect 15 Indian cities with 29 European cities across 20 different nations. Air India has established 24 codeshare agreements and 100 interline partnerships since its 2022 privatization to provide access to over 800 international flight destinations.

Campbell Wilson, CEO and Managing Director of Air India noted, “This milestone in our deepening relationship with the Lufthansa Group is great news for travellers and enterprises alike between India and Europe. As Air India continues to expand its global footprint with a fast-modernising fleet and transformed product and service offerings, this framework enables us to explore closer cooperation on multiple fronts to meet the growing trade, commerce, and people-to-people ties between our respective regions. This would unlock greater value for our common customers and respective shareholders, and we look forward to progressing these initiatives together with the Lufthansa Group”.

The Lufthansa Group operates five European national airlines, which transported more than 131 million passengers during the 2024 fiscal year. The partnership begins at a moment when India and the European Union together represent approximately 25 percent of global economic output, and their trade relationship reached over €120 billion in goods during 2024.