Lufthansa Group Announces Expansion of Strategic Partnership with Air India
- Joe Breitfeller
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Lufthansa Group has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Air India that establishes the framework for a future Joint Business Agreement between the Lufthansa Group airlines and Air India plus Air India Express.
On Tuesday (February 17, 2026), Lufthansa Group announced an expansion of their strategic partnership with Air India. 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, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing the framework for a future Joint Business Agreement between the Lufthansa Group airlines, Air India, and Air India Express. The agreement is designed to capitalize on new growth opportunities arising from the recently concluded free trade agreement between India and the European Union (EU).
In Tuesday’s announcement, Deutsche Lufthansa AG’s Chairman, and CEO of the Lufthansa Group, Carsten Spohr, said,
“Today’s agreement with our long-standing Star Alliance partner Air India is a strong signal of our mutual determination to open a new chapter in aviation between the EU and India following the landmark trade agreement between both economic regions. Together with Air India, we will strengthen our access to the aviation market with the highest growth rates worldwide. The Lufthansa Group is already the most successful and most popular European airline group among customers in India. In the future, we will contribute to deepening economic and cultural relations between India and Europe with even more connections. With our new long-haul aircraft and Lufthansa Allegris and SWISS Senses on board, we are offering a significantly improved premium travel experience in all classes on more and more routes, including to India.”
Also commenting on the expanding commercial cooperation, Air India’s Managing Director and CEO, Campbell Wilson, said,
“This milestone in our deepening relationship with the Lufthansa Group is great news for travellers and enterprises alike between India and Europe. As Air India continues to expand its global footprint with a fast-modernising fleet and transformed product and service offerings, this framework enables us to explore closer cooperation on multiple fronts to meet the growing trade, commerce, and people-to-people ties between our respective regions. This would unlock greater value for our common customers and respective shareholders, and we look forward to progressing these initiatives together with the Lufthansa Group.”
The MoU is the first step on expanding and jointly marketing flight offerings with the goal of providing customers with a better connected and seamless travel experience between the Lufthansa Group's home markets (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy) and India. The next step envisions incorporating the remaining EU countries and the Indian subcontinent. The exact scope will be determined following the completion of the commercial Joint Business Agreement, subject to required regulatory and antitrust approvals.
Currently, the Lufthansa Group airlines and Air India offer codeshare flights on 146 routes to 22 countries. The joint network includes 15 Indian and 27 European destinations. Lufthansa offers customers the most connections to India from Frankfurt, with service to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad. From Munich, Lufthansa serves Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore. SWISS flies from Zurich to Delhi and Mumbai, while ITA Airways connects Rome with Delhi. This extensive offering is complemented by Air India with long-haul connections from Delhi to Frankfurt, Zurich, Vienna, and Milan as well as between Mumbai and Frankfurt.
Lufthansa first landed in Delhi in 1959, a connection that has been continuously expanded. codeshare agreement with Air India has existed since 2004, and in 2014 the Indian airline joined the Star Alliance, which was co-founded by Lufthansa. In February 2025, the Lufthansa Group and Air India announced the expansion of codeshare agreements between Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, and Air India.
Source: Lufthansa Group