German Court Ruling Definitive on Etihad Airways-airberlin Codeshare Dispute

15/01/2016 07:37

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 15, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Etihad Airways today welcomed the ruling by the higher administrative court in Luneburg, Germany reversing an earlier judgment and allowing it to continue operating 26 out of the 31 codeshare flights for the full Winter Schedule - which ends on March 26, 2016.

The court definitively ruled that 26 of the 31 codeshares are lawful. Together with the other 50 approved codeshares with airberlin, 76 of the 81 codeshares are now approved once and for all, that is 94 percent of the codeshares applied for. The other five codeshares are on German domestic routes.

The court's interpretation of the UAE-Germany Air Services Agreement also means that Etihad Airways will be able to continue with all those codeshares beyond the Winter Schedule.

Etihad Airways President and Chief Executive Officer, James Hogan, said: "We are pleased with the ruling which confirms 94 percent of Etihad Airways' codeshares.

"This ruling is a victory for consumers and competition in Germany.

"We remain strongly committed to our strategic partner, airberlin, and will redouble our efforts to provide a strong competitive alternative to the dominant German carrier, Lufthansa.

"We would like to encourage German consumers to support airberlin and its 8,000 staff, who have been seriously damaged by this sustained attack on their business."

About Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways began operations in 2003, and in 2015 carried 17.4 million passengers. From its Abu Dhabi base, Etihad Airways flies to or has announced plans to serve 116 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. The airline has a fleet of around 120 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, with approximately 200 aircraft on firm order, including 66 Boeing 787s, 25 Boeing 777Xs, 62 Airbus A350s and five Airbus A380s.

Etihad Airways holds equity investments in airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Jet Airways, Virgin Australia, and Swiss-based Darwin Airline, trading as Etihad Regional. Etihad Airways, along with airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Etihad Regional, Jet Airways and NIKI, also participate in Etihad Airways Partners, a new brand that brings together like-minded airlines to offer customers more choice through improved networks and schedules and enhanced frequent flyer benefits. For more information, please visit: www.etihad.com