Air India, Lufthansa Group Expand Codeshare Agreement

India Our Bureau - : Feb 20, 2025 - : 9:10 pm

Air India and Lufthansa Group have expanded their codeshare partnership, adding nearly 60 routes across 12 Indian and 26 European cities. The revised agreement introduces a new codeshare arrangement between Air India and Austrian Airlines, alongside the expansion of existing agreements with Lufthansa and Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS).

With these additions, the total number of codeshare routes between the Indian airline, Lufthansa, and SWISS has increased from 55 to nearly 100. The newly established agreement between Air India and Austrian Airlines covers 26 routes. This expansion aims to enhance connectivity between the Indian subcontinent and Europe.

Passengers flying with Lufthansa Group airlines will now have access to Air India’s domestic routes covering 15 Indian cities, including Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Pune. Lufthansa Group carriers will also add their designator codes to Air India’s international flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Kathmandu, Melbourne, and Sydney.

Flights operated by Air India and Lufthansa Group between India and Germany or Switzerland will also be included in the expanded codeshare arrangement. For instance, passengers flying between Delhi and Frankfurt will now have three daily flights available under Lufthansa’s ‘LH’ code—two operated by Air India and one by Lufthansa.

In return, Air India will codeshare on Lufthansa Group-operated flights, offering connections to 26 European destinations and three in the Americas from its European gateways in Frankfurt, Vienna, and Zurich. These include routes operated by Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian Airlines.

Both airlines plan to gradually expand the codeshare arrangement to additional destinations. Air India and the three Lufthansa Group carriers are all members of Star Alliance, allowing frequent flyers to earn and redeem miles across all four airlines. Elite members of Air India’s Maharaja Club and Lufthansa Group’s Miles & More programme will continue to benefit from Star Alliance Gold privileges, such as priority services, additional baggage allowance, and lounge access.

Lufthansa Group Chief Commercial Officer Dieter Vranckx stated: “We are thrilled to strengthen our partnership with Air India and elevate the travel experience for our joint customers. By further enhancing our cooperation, we will increase the travel options between Europe and India and offer our passengers improved access to additional destinations. Lufthansa Group remains committed to India, and we are excited about the possibilities and potential the country and Air India as a partner have to offer.”

Air India’s Chief Commercial Officer, Nipun Aggarwal, said: “Our goal is to enable our customers to travel from any corner of the world to another via Air India and its partner airlines. The expansion of our partnership with Lufthansa Group is a step in that direction, and we are pleased to take this long-standing relationship to the next level. With this renewed partnership, our customers will have access to more destinations and greater flexibility to travel across Europe on Lufthansa Group carriers. It also gives us the opportunity to serve Lufthansa Group customers, with warmth and quintessential Indian hospitality, aboard Air India flights. We look forward to continue working closely with our Star Alliance partners in making the world feel like a smaller place.”

The expanded codeshare flights will be introduced progressively, subject to regulatory approvals, and will be available for booking through the airlines’ sales channels.

air-india / codeshare / lufthansa-group /

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