Air India and Lufthansa Group sign landmark MoU to advance joint business partnership

The Lufthansa Group and Air India will work even more closely together in the future. To this end, Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Chief Executive Officer of the Lufthansa Group, and Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of Air India, signed a Memorandum of Understanding that establishes the framework for a future Joint Business Agreement between the Lufthansa Group airlines as well as Air India and Air India Express.

Date:
February 17, 2026

Parties:
Air India and Lufthansa Group (including subsidiaries: Air India Express, Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, ITA Airways, etc.)

Nature of Agreement:
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a joint business partnership framework.

Strategic Goals
- Connectivity: Boost passenger flows between India and Europe (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland initially, with scope to expand).
- Customer Experience: Joint initiatives in:
- Frequent flyer programme integration
- IT infrastructure alignment
- Coordinated route planning & schedules
- Quality assurance and seamless travel on single tickets
- Commercial Cooperation: Joint sales, marketing, and distribution strategies.

Economic Context
- Builds on the India–EU Free Trade Agreement (recently concluded).
- EU is India’s largest trading partner, with bilateral goods trade exceeding €120 billion in 2024.
- Together, India and EU represent nearly 25% of global GDP.

Leadership Statements
- Carsten Spohr (CEO, Lufthansa Group):
Called the MoU a “strong signal” of deepening aviation ties post‑trade agreement, highlighting Lufthansa’s popularity in India and commitment to premium travel experiences.

- Campbell Wilson (CEO, Air India):
Emphasized the milestone as part of Air India’s global expansion with a modernized fleet, unlocking greater value for customers and shareholders.

Current Cooperation
- Already codesharing on 145 routes across 15 Indian and 29 European cities.
- Expanded codeshare agreements in February 2025 with Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian Airlines.
- Air India now has 24 codeshare partnerships and nearly 100 interline agreements, giving access to over 800 destinations worldwide.

This MoU signals a major step toward a full joint business agreement, pending regulatory approvals, and positions both airlines to capitalize on growing India–Europe travel demand.