SIA Group, Lufthansa Group launch joint venture

Singapore Airlines Group (SIA) and Lufthansa Group launched a joint venture (JV) covering flights between Singapore, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Belgium Oct. 1.

Additionally, flights operated by SIA, Lufthansa and Lufthansa-subsidiary SWISS between Singapore and Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich will be included in a revenue-sharing agreement between the two airline groups.

The joint venture agreement was originally signed November 2015, and SIA-operated flights between Singapore and Dusseldorf began July 2016. The Competition Commission of Singapore (CCS) approved the JV in December 2016. SWISS began daily flights between Singapore and Zurich this past March, and Lufthansa is planning to reintroduce Singapore-Munich service from March 2018.

“With the launch of this joint venture, [our] airline groups are jointly able to optimize the product offerings and … services in a very competitive market throughout Europe, Southeast Asia and Southwest Pacific,” Lufthansa Group Airlines VP-sales Asia Pacific Dieter Vranckx said.

SIA and Lufthansa have increased the two airline groups’ codeshare agreements to over 130 city pairs between Europe, Southeast Asia and Southwest Pacific.