Lufthansa is more likely to look to Russia rather than elsewhere in Eastern Europe for future investment opportunities, says a manager at the German flag-carrier.
The carrier's vice-president for sales Europe/north east, Ulrich Wachter, says the airline industry in Russia is "not settled" but Lufthansa is "closely watching" the situation. Air France has been courting Aeroflot, Russia's largest carrier.
There has been speculation in recent months that Lufthansa would take a stake in one of the crop of East European carriers looking for investors, with Malév a notable example. But Wachter says Lufthansa, and alliance partners, SAS and Austrian Airlines, already have strong east European links backed by efficient operations. Under the terms of its recent membership of SkyTeam, CSA Czech Airlines has to continue its codeshare with Lufthansa.
Source: Airline Business
