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UAE's Etihad Airways appeals ruling over airberlin codeshare

Xinhua, January 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

Etihad Airways said here on Monday it launched fresh legal action to overturn a German court decision to revoke the approval for 29 of its codeshare flights with Germany's second carrier airberlin.

President and Chief Executive Officer James Hogan of Etihad, the state-owned national carrier of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said Etihad remains committed to airberlin, to competition and to consumer choice.

Earlier Monday, Etihad filed an appeal with the higher administrative court in the German city of Lüneburg against a Dec. 30 decision by the Administrative Court of Braunschweig to approve the German Ministry of Transport's rejection of the 29 Etihad-airberlin codeshares.

Etihad (Arabic for "unity") took a 29.2 percent stake in airberlin in 2011. Airberlin is the second German carrier behind Frankfurt-based Deutsche Lufthansa AG.

"With airberlin, we are working to ensure that no traveler suffers as a result of this dispute, and all bookings will be honoured," said Hogan, who has been at the helm of Etihad since 2006.

"We will fight all the way to protect our investment, to protect our partnership with airberlin and to protect competitive choice in German air travel," he said.

Etihad and airberlin had approval for codeshare services on a total of 63 air routes.

In summer 2014, the German Ministry of Transport raised concerns about 29 of the codeshares. Etihad said the move was made "based on lobbying by Lufthansa."

In November 2015 the ministry approved the 29 codeshares until Jan. 15 , 2016. The remaining codeshares remain unaffected.

"Unless the German government can show its commitment to support all German companies and German jobs, its reputation as a safe country in which to invest is at stake," Hogan said. "Investors need every reassurance that the integrity of their investments in Germany will be respected and protected."

"Make no mistake. Protectionism will undoubtedly harm the investment landscape in Germany," he warned. Endit