THE Supervisory Board of
Deutsche Lufthansa AG
has approved the rapid
expansion of low-cost carrier,
Eurowings, which will see
an investment framework
of around €1bn (R16bn) for
the purchase and leasing of
up to 61 aircraft.
The acquisition of the
aircraft is partly dependent
on the successful
conclusion of negotiations to
acquire parts of the airberlin
group, which has filed for
provisional insolvency and
cancelled a slew of long-haul
flights.
Over the past few months,
Lufthansa has already taken
on 20 aircraft operated by
Eurowings under the existing
wet lease agreement with
airberlin, 15 by acquisition
and five more leased with
an option to purchase.
Dependent on approval
by the relevant antitrust
authorities, the Eurowings
Group can expand by a total
of up to 81 aircraft in the
future.
As part of its initial
expansion plan, Eurowings’
inaugural flight to SA will
begin with a direct route
between Cologne and Cape
Town on November 5. The
launch of the route follows
the direct route between
Cologne and Windhoek
earlier this year.
Plan to expand European LCC
Comments | 0
