Lufthansa-Air India partnership can extend beyond Star Alliance: Carsten Spohr

Lufthansa and Air India are exploring opportunities to deepen their collaboration beyond the existing Star Alliance framework, Carsten Spohr, CE of the German airline major, told ET. Lufthansa’s partnership with Air India within Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline network, “has been very fruitful”, he said. “However, we believe there are further opportunities to enhance our cooperation, which will benefit our customers and strengthen our market presence,” he said. Star Alliance membership has allowed the two airlines to offer their passengers a seamless travel experience with benefits such as coordinated schedules, shared lounges, and reciprocal frequent flyer programmes, Spohr said, adding that they are now looking to build on this foundation to achieve even greater synergy. Spohr said he held elaborate discussions with Campbell Wilson, CE of Air India, on the sidelines of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) AGM in Dubai earlier this month. If successful, this move could set a new precedent for airline partnerships, demonstrating how carriers can go beyond traditional alliances to create more value for their customers and stakeholders. Potential areas for deeper collaboration include joint ventures on India-Europe routes and coordinated marketing strategies,people aware of the negitiations said.<br/>