Eurowings (EW, Düsseldorf) and Volotea (V7, Barcelona El Prat) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a sales partnership which will allow both LCCs to cross-sell their respective flights.

In addition to the partnership, Volotea will also add eight new routes to Germany to boost connections between either airline's network. The Spanish LCC will inaugurate the new Berlin Brandenburg International-Verona, Düsseldorf-Bordeaux Mérignac, and Stuttgart Manfred Rommel-Bordeaux routes on May 26, 2023. The remaining five routes - Berlin-Lyon St. Exupéry, Hamburg Helmut Schmidt-Bordeaux/Florence Peretola/Lyon, and Stuttgart-Nantes - will launch on October 10 and 12, 2023, and will be Volotea's first scheduled services to Germany.

"Step by step, we are strengthening the 'Euro' in our Eurowings brand name. Our roots are in Germany, but we are consistently expanding our pan-European presence with this partnership. Having developed Eurowings towards Eastern and Northern Europe with recently opened bases in Prague Václav Havel and Stockholm Arlanda, the expansion of our route portfolio towards Southern Europe is the next step. The planned mutual sales cooperation with Volotea will open up numerous new destinations in France and Italy for our customers, as well as attractive connections within Southern Europe," Eurowings' chief executive, Jens Bischof, said.

Eurowings currently operates a base at Palma de Mallorca (served by Eurowings Europe (Austria)/Eurowings Europe (Malta)). Spain is the LCC's important origin market, accounting for 13.1% of its weekly scheduled capacity in February 2023 and more during the summer season. The Lufthansa Group LCC also flies to France and Italy, two other main markets served by Volotea, although they are much less significant in its network.

In turn, Volotea's network remains relatively confined to the Mediterranean. The ch-aviation capacities module shows it serves just seven countries, with Spain, France, and Italy accounting for 91.8% of its scheduled weekly capacity. The other four markets are Algeria (6.6% of capacity), Czechia, Luxembourg, and Morocco.

"We are very pleased to launch our commercial activities in Germany with a strong distribution partner and important player in the country. The planned strategic agreement with Eurowings is significant and unique, covering more than 140 routes with no overlap and signals the potential of a stronger, long-term partnership. With eight new destinations, we can also present our distinctive offer to the German public," Founder and CEO Carlos Muñoz said.