Lufthansa wins approval to lease 38 aircraft from Airberlin

German authorities have cleared Lufthansa to wet lease 38 Airbus A319/320s from Airberlin. Under the wet-lease agreement, Airberlin will lease the aircraft—which are stationed at German and Austrian airports—to Lufthansa and its subsidiaries Eurowings and Austrian Airlines. Eurowings will take 33 of the aircraft, enabling it to phase out up to 20 older A320s, and Austrian Airlines will take the remaining 5. The deal also includes a codeshare between Lufthansa and Airberlin equity parent Etihad Airways. The agreement has a 6-year term, which can be extended subject to certain conditions. As is common in wet-lease deals, the responsibility for other services—including flight operation, crew planning and maintenance—remains with the wet-lease provider, in this case Airberlin. <br/>