Etihad Aviation Group and Lufthansa Group have moved to further enhance their blossoming strategic partnership through the signing of various agreements at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, February 1.
Among the deals signed was a USD100 million global catering agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate in aircraft MRO. The sale of equity was, however, discounted.
Under the four-year catering contract, Lufthansa’s LSG Sky Chefs will provide catering services to Etihad Airways (EY, Abu Dhabi International) in sixteen cities in Europe, Asia and the Americas. This will render LSG the largest provider of catering services to the UAE’s national airline, outside its Abu Dhabi International home base.
Etihad Aviation Group and Lufthansa Technik (LHT) also signed an MoU to explore cooperation in MRO services across Etihad Airways and its airline equity partners, and opportunities for synergies with Etihad Airways Engineering.
“Partnerships are at the heart of our strategy and remain fundamental for us to compete effectively and efficiently in a complex and competitive global market," James Hogan, Etihad Aviation Group's outgoing President and Chief Executive Officer, said. “This partnership is the platform for a much wider strategic collaboration between our two organizations. It demonstrates the commitment of the Etihad Aviation Group Board and Abu Dhabi to our European growth strategy.”
A previously announced codeshare agreement covering Lufthansa's flights from Frankfurt Int'l to each of Bogotá and Rio de Janeiro International, and Etihad's flights from Abu Dhabi Int'l to each of Frankfurt and Munich, kicked in as of February 1.
Etihad Airways and Lufthansa also announced they are exploring further cooperation in a number of areas, including freight operations, procurement and passenger services to improve their competitive offering globally and in the European market.
