Lufthansa and Etihad Airways have reached a codeshare agreement covering selected routes, which took effect on January 1. Under the arrangement, Lufthansa will place its flight number on Etihad’s twice-daily services between Abu Dhabi (AUH) and Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC). Since Lufthansa ended its own Abu Dhabi–Frankfurt service in 2015, the codeshare allows it to restore market presence on that route without operating its own aircraft.
Conversely, Etihad will add its code to Lufthansa flights from Frankfurt to Rio de Janeiro (GIG) and Bogotá (BOG), expanding Etihad’s network reach into two South American destinations. The partnership thereby broadens both carriers’ route offerings through reciprocal codesharing.
As part of the broader commercial cooperation, Lufthansa is permitted to wet-lease 38 aircraft from airberlin—an airline in which Etihad holds a 29 percent stake—for deployment with Lufthansa subsidiaries Eurowings and Austrian Airlines. The wet-lease arrangement gives Lufthansa additional capacity while leveraging existing aircraft and crew resources.
Although the codeshare signals closer operational alignment, the two carriers have previously experienced tensions. In the prior year, James Hogan, then president and CEO of Etihad Aviation Group, criticized Lufthansa for what he described as lobbying and protectionist tactics that he believed hindered Etihad’s expansion. Despite past disagreements, the new agreement represents a pragmatic step to enhance connectivity for customers and to increase market presence for both airlines.