Air Berlin, Etihad in German codeshare ruling victory

Air Berlin (1991) (Berlin Tegel) and parent carrier Etihad Airways (EY, Abu Dhabi International) have won an appeal against a Braunschweig administrative court ruling issued late last month which required them to cease codesharing on thirty-one routes beyond January 15.

In a statement, the German carrier said the Higher Administrative Court in Lüneburg had ordered the German civil aviation authority (Luftfahrt-Bundesamt - LBA) to approve twenty-six of the thirty-one disputed codeshare routes until March 26, 2016 - the end of the current winter season. The only routes on which Etihad is no longer allowed to codeshare are domestic Air Berlin services from Berlin Tegel to Stuttgart Manfred Rommel and Nuremberg, from Düsseldorf to Hamburg Helmut Schmidt and Munich and from Hamburg to Dusseldorf.

“This is a good result for Air Berlin," Stefan Pichler, airberlin Chief Executive Officer, said. "We’re delighted with the decision and regard it as confirmation of our current approach. The verdict sends a positive signal to our consumers and is a victory for increased competition in the German aviation market, meaning that German passengers can continue to enjoy freedom of choice.”

The previous Braunschweig ruling had said the affected routes were not covered by the terms of Germany's air services agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and would therefore have to be suspended with effect from January 16 until the end of the current winter season - March 26, 2016. The revised Lüneburg ruling, however, has allowed for the twenty-six routes to continue to operate beyond the current winter season.

"We remain strongly committed to our strategic partner, Air Berlin, and will redouble our efforts to provide a strong competitive alternative to the dominant German carrier, Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt International)," Etihad Airways President and Chief Executive Officer, James Hogan, said. “We would like to encourage German consumers to support Air Berlin and its 8,000 staff, who have been seriously damaged by this sustained attack on their business.”