In a collaborative commercial agreement, Lufthansa Group and Tata-owned Air India will work together on a number of important areas, such as coordinated flight schedules and route planning in certain regions, the Indian airline announced on Tuesday, February 17.
To lay the groundwork for a collaborative business agreement encompassing Lufthansa Group carriers and subsidiaries, Air India, and Air India Express, the airlines signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Tuesday. ITA Airways, Lufthansa, Austrian carriers, Brussels Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS), and other associated carriers are among them.
The proposed collaboration with the Lufthansa Group of Germany also aims to investigate prospects arising from the January-finalized India-EU Free Trade Agreement.
Regulatory clearances are still pending.
Upon the establishment of a comprehensive joint commercial agreement, subject to regulatory permissions, Air India stated that the specific scope, including specific routes and markets, will be known.
In order to make travel easier for our customers, we will continue to collaborate towards better customer experiences in areas like quality assurance, IT infrastructure-customer journey, frequent flyer programs, and other initiatives that benefit both parties,” Air India said.
According to the airline, “the carriers intend to collaborate across multiple strategic areas, subject to requisite regulatory along with anti-trust approvals, including joint sales, marketing, and distribution campaigns, as well as coordinated flight schedules and route planning in certain areas for improved connection and client convenience.”
The primary goal of the MoU will be to boost passenger traffic between India and the primary home market region of the Lufthansa Group, which consists of Germany, Austria, Belgium, Italy, and Switzerland. They would also want to incorporate the Indian subcontinent and the remainder of Europe.
Codeshare agreements currently exist between Air India and the Lufthansa Group airlines for 145 routes in 15 Indian cities, 29 European cities, and 20 countries. The extension of the codeshare agreements between Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS, and Air India was also announced by both sides in February 2025.
Air India has about 100 interline agreements with several carriers, including 24 codeshare alliances. Passengers can use a single ticket on many flights through a codeshare relationship.
In terms of revenue and fleet size, the Lufthansa Group is the fourth-largest airline group globally. According to the statement, it oversees five domestic airlines in significant European markets in addition to several private, travel-oriented airlines, Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa Technik, and more than 300 connected businesses and subsidiaries operating under the Lufthansa Group name.
