01.02.2023 - 13:13 UTC
Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt International) is considering moving its legal domicile from Cologne to Munich, but no decision has been made yet, a company spokesperson has confirmed to ch-aviation.
"It is correct that there are considerations regarding the registered office of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. These considerations are at a very early stage. No preliminary decision has been made, let alone a decision on the future legal seat of the company. Nor will there be an item on the agenda or a decision on this matter at our upcoming annual general meeting in Munich on May 9, 2023," the spokesman said.
A change of legal domicile will have little practical impact on Lufthansa's commercial operations managed from its head office at Frankfurt International. A legal domicile is the location declared in legal documents and where the company pays taxes. Bavaria offers a competitive system of corporate taxation.
Lufthansa's current legal domicile is in Cologne-Ehrenfeld, a remnant of historical circumstances. To distance itself from the airline's association with Nazi Germany, West Germany set up a new...
01.02.2023 - 06:37 UTC
North Macedonia’s Ministry of Transport and Communications has said it received bids from three carriers - Aegean Airlines, Lufthansa, and Wizz Air - for subsidies designed to encourage the launch of new routes to its two airports: Skopje and Ohrid.
During the public call for bids, which lasted from December 20 last year to January 26, the three airlines “submitted documentation” and “a commission composed of members from several state institutions will evaluate the submitted offers in the coming period,” the ministry said in a statement posted on its website on January 27.
The subsidies, which are “in accordance with the policies of fair and competitive conditions according to the regulations of the European Union,” are “aimed at encouraging and developing air traffic” in the country, as well as “the quality development of civil aviation, establishing more competitive and affordable ticket prices,” and opening new destinations for local residents.
Transport minister Blagoj Bochvarski announced the call on December 20, saying at the time that funds would be allocated to attract new airlines...
31.01.2023 - 12:17 UTC
Italy’s Ministry of Economy and Finance said it has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt International) on the sale of a stake in state-owned flag carrier ITA Airways (AZ, Rome Fiumicino), allowing negotiations to start with the German carrier.
The announcement came just over a week after Lufthansa submitted an offer to Rome to discuss the initial acquisition of a minority stake and options to purchase the remaining shares at a later date.
“This afternoon the MEF signed the letter of intent from Deutsche Lufthansa AG to acquire a minority stake in ITA Airways. The document is preparatory for opening a private negotiation between the parties. No further details on the ongoing discussion will be disclosed,” the ministry’s brief statement dated January 27 said.
Lufthansa confirmed to the news agency Reuters that it had signed the LOI with both the ministry and ITA Airways, adding: “The parties will now start negotiations on the structure of a possible participation.”
Six weeks of exclusive negotiations are proposed for the...
27.01.2023 - 08:38 UTC
The Swiss Federal Administrative Court has annulled a EUR3.9 million euro (USD4.26 million dollar) fine imposed on Air France, Air France-KLM, and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines in relation to a decades-old alleged cargo cartel that has ensnared multiple airlines and their subsidiaries.
A January 18 statement issued by Air France's legal team, Linklaters, said the court annulled the Swiss Competition Commission-issued fine in a December 20 judgement. "The Federal Administrative Court accepted Air France's arguments, particularly regarding the lack of jurisdiction for certain practices," the statement read.
Notably, the matter concerned only the three entities, with Martinair, British Airways, Air Canada, JAL - Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, SAS Scandinavian Airlines, LATAM Airlines, and Cargolux not being party to the proceedings. The case stemmed from alleged cargo cartel activity between 1999 and 2006 among the carriers. In 2010, the European Commission began issuing a series of fines to the airlines for the alleged fixing of air cargo charges, many of which have been successfully overturned...
