Frankfurt, Germany, 2014-7-11 — /Travel PR News/ — During German Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel’s state visit to China, Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, and Mr Song Zhiyong, President and Executive Director of Air China Limited, signed a memorandum of understanding in Beijing to expand the scope of the commercial partnership between their companies.
Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, and Song Zhiyong, President and Executive Director of Air China Limited, signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance the commercial partnership as part of a joint venture, during the Chancellor’s visit to China.
‘We are delighted that, together with Air China, we will be able to offer our customers, particularly those in Europe and China, even better flight connections and services in the future’, said Carsten Spohr at the signing of the memorandum of understanding on 7 July in Beijing. ‘Thanks to strategic partnerships with leading airlines, the Lufthansa Group airlines now connect the world’s four largest economies even better.’ This new joint venture with Air China also offers customers of both airlines a product range that is more varied and can be combined more flexibly. This provides additional travel options and flight connections. Both companies also signed a memorandum of understanding to expand collaboration in the area of maintenance, repair and overhaul services.
As members of the Star Alliance, Lufthansa and Air China have been connected for a number of years. The memorandum of understanding should pave the way for the creation of a commercial joint venture between the German airline and Air China. This partnership will add to the existing joint ventures with United Airlines and with Air Canada between Europe and North America (since 1998) and with ANA (since 2012) on routes between Europe and Japan. The agreement with Air China will allow the Lufthansa Group to provide its airlines with even better access to the world’s second largest aviation market after the USA. The new partnership agreement should come into force as early as the start of the winter flight timetable in late October 2014.
Since 2007, Air China has been a member of the Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline alliance, and with almost 49 million passengers, as measured by intercontinental traffic, is China’s biggest airline.
Deutsche Lufthansa AG
Media Relations Lufthansa Group