The European Commission has approved Lufthansa’s takeover of Austrian Airlines Group, allowing it start integrating the company in September. Lufthansa is taking over about 42 per cent of the shares of Austrian Airlines owned by the government for about euro336,000 (US$480,000). The commission also approved a euro500 million government restructuring programme, which Lufthansa has said in the past would be necessary to reduce Austrian's debt. The EU made its decision based on the … [Read more...] about EU clears Lufthansa’s Austrian takeover
Lufthansa
Frankfurt night flights still in limbo
A German court has approved a US$5.6 billion expansion plan for Frankfurt airport, Europe’s biggest air cargo hub, but passed the responsibility of deciding on whether night flights would continue, to politicisions. The court ruled that the state of Hesse, where Frankfurt is located, must draw up new rules regulating flights between 11 pm and 5 am. Lufthansa Cargo had warned it will lose tens of millions of dollars a year if the court backed a night flight ban at its global hub. … [Read more...] about Frankfurt night flights still in limbo
EUROPE & CIS: Lufthansa proceeds with Belgian, BMI purchases
Lufthansa, Europe’s second biggest airline, has said it will proceed with takeovers of Belgian and UK carriers by early next month after settling antitrust issue and transaction terms. Lufthansa aims to complete the purchase of 45 per cent of Brussels Airlines in June, and is sticking to plans for complete control by 2011, following European Union approval after the carriers agreed to scale back services on three German routes serving Brussels as well as Brussels-Zurich flights to … [Read more...] about EUROPE & CIS: Lufthansa proceeds with Belgian, BMI purchases
EUROPE & CIS: Lufthansa proceeds with Belgian, BMI purchases
Lufthansa, Europe’s second biggest airline, has said it will proceed with takeovers of Belgian and UK carriers by early next month after settling antitrust issue and transaction terms. Lufthansa aims to complete the purchase of 45 per cent of Brussels Airlines in June, and is sticking to plans for complete control by 2011, following European Union approval after the carriers agreed to scale back services on three German routes serving Brussels as well as Brussels-Zurich flights to … [Read more...] about EUROPE & CIS: Lufthansa proceeds with Belgian, BMI purchases
DHL and Lufthansa launch new cargo carrier
In a bold but largely unvoidable move, a new cargo airline has taken flight in what is arguably the harshest air cargo environment in the history of air cargo. AeroLogic, the new child of global heavyweights DHL Express and Lufthansa Cargo officially started operations out of its Leipzig, Germany hub Friday after two years of extensive planning. The all-cargo carrier is a unique joint venture that sees the capacity of what will ultimately be an eight-plane fleet of 102-tonne B777 freighters … [Read more...] about DHL and Lufthansa launch new cargo carrier
Aeroflot expands China capacity with latest MD-11F
For most air cargo carriers, taking delivery of another aircraft in this current environment means an extra capacity burden and all the headaches that go with it. But for Russian cargo carrier Aeroflot Cargo, the addition of its latest MD-11 converted freighter has not been so much of problem in terms of filling it, but rather the poor yields that are an unfortunate feature of the market now. “We just increased our frequencies from Russia to China – Bejing and Hong Kong … [Read more...] about Aeroflot expands China capacity with latest MD-11F