Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH
Eurowings has accused Lufthansa of misusing its partners in a "senseless" attempt to suppress competition, after the announcement of the German flag carrier's new partnership with Augsburg Airways.
South German regional carrier Augsburg is to become Lufthansa's first Team Lufthansa franchise partner, flying from Munich to Dortmund, Erfurt and Leipzig from 27 October. Dortmund and Erfurt are new destinations for Lufthansa.
Eurowings says that the franchise partnership is "economically incomprehensible" given that Lufthansa has been losing money on its domestic network, and will provoke "nonsensical competition". The Dortmund-based airline interprets the opening of the four-times-daily service from Munich to Dortmund as a direct attack on Eurowings' home market - Eurowings already flies five daily frequencies between Munich and Dortmund.
Lufthansa counters that Eurowings' own partnerships with Air France and KLM on routes to Paris and Amsterdam respectively are "clearly directed against Lufthansa", by drawing international passengers from Germany into the networks of foreign carriers. The airline adds that the Dortmund-Munich market is sufficient for two competitors.
The Team Lufthansa flights will operate under Lufthansa flight numbers. The Bombardier de Havilland Dash 8-100s and -300s serving the routes will be painted in "Team Lufthansa" colours.
The routes will be flown at Augsburg Airways' own financial risk, in return for which the airline will benefit from the link with Lufthansa's global network, as well as the airline's ticket sales management and airport handling.
Lufthansa says that it is talking with other regional airlines, which could become partners.
Source: Flight International
