Lufthansa Group and longstanding Star Alliance partner Air India have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that establishes the framework for a future joint business agreement between airlines in both groups to expand flights and marketing between Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, and India. A second step envisions incorporating the remaining EU countries and the Indian subcontinent. The deal follows a new European Union-India free trade pact. The airlines plan closer schedule coordination, integrated frequent flyer programmes, and expanded codeshares.