A German court has stopped the British Airways subsidiary Deutsche BA (DBA) from publicly airing its concerns over the impact on the German domestic airline market of Lufthansa's recently announced investment in Eurowings.
Lufthansa sought the gagging order after DBA chief executive Adrian Hunt complained that the deal would leave the German flag-carrier with 80% of the domestic market in terms of passenger numbers - claiming this could restrict choice and lead to higher prices for consumers. DBA has 14% of the domestic market, but claims a 39% share for the routes it offers.
"We have genuine concerns over the lack of competition in the domestic market in Germany and we think this could distort the picture even further," says Hunt.
He says he wants regulators to make sure Lufthansa does not use Eurowings slots "strategically against the remaining competition", and says the Star Alliance should be forced to let domestic competitors join its Miles & More frequent-flyer programme.
Lufthansa, which is taking a 24.9% stake in Eurowings, applied for an injunction to prevent Hunt repeating his claims.
It alleged that DBA had breached German law by making "untrue and degrading" comments. The court has confirmed Lufthansa's opinion.
The flag-carrier claims that Eurowings does not compete directly with DBA.
Source: Flight International
