Lufthansa seeks more code-share agreements with airlines in India

Lufthansa is seeking more airlines to partner with in India for code-sharing agreements to expand its presence in the country, a senior company executive said Friday. Lufthansa is focusing on growing its network in India in part because of the grounding of the country’s biggest private carrier Jet Airways (JET.NS) which stopped flying in April after running out of cash. The airline, which already has a code-share agreement with state-run carrier Air India, has an interline agreement with Vistara, a full service carrier owned by the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, which it is keen to expand, Alain Chisari, VP, Asia Pacific, Lufthansa Group, said. “Vistara fits really well with our product portfolio because they’ve got the premium proposition as well. We are looking forward to expanding the relationship with Vistara but also other partners,” he said in an interview in New Delhi. Chisari declined to comment on whether Lufthansa is in talks with Vistara for a code-share agreement. The German group is encouraged by the growth in passenger numbers flying to international destinations from India. <br/>