Austrian Airlines joins Joint Venture between Japan and Europe

Together with SWISS, Austrian Airlines is officially joining the Joint Venture between Lufthansa and Japanese airline ANA on 1 April 2013. The Joint Venture was brought to life by Lufthansa and ANA in April 2012, and is the basis for their cooperating on flights between Japan and Europe. The Japanese competition authority granted its authorisation for this Joint Venture (Antitrust Immunity) in September 2012. “We will benefit from the strong sales of ANA in Japan in future, and ANA will do from ours,” Austrian CEO Jaan Albrecht declared. “Becoming part of the Joint Venture, therefore, is another important building block on the way to a healthy Austrian Airlines.”

As a partner in the agreement, Austrian Airlines will be able to offer its customers a far broader range of flights between Europe and Japan in future. One significant benefit is that companies will no longer have to conclude contracts with each of the four airlines individually in future, but with just one, to be able to use the product of all four companies. It also means customers will have a wider range of connecting flights between Japan and Europe available to them in future. It will be possible to fully combine fares on those routes.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) is Japan’s largest airline, with its head office in Tokyo, and is a member of the Star Alliance.