ANA and Lufthansa Plan Joint Venture

All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Lufthansa have filed an application with the Japanese and German Governments for antitrust immunity to launch a joint venture on routes between Japan and Europe, allowing the two carriers to bring what they describe as “substantial benefits to passengers” by creating a more efficient and comprehensive service across their networks. Subject to approval of the application by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and Germany’s Transport Ministry, ANA and Lufthansa will be able to jointly manage their Japan-Europe operations in areas such as scheduling, pricing and sales. This will provide customers a greater choice of connections and a wider range of fare and service options but will reduce competition.