Lufthansa plans new major project with United Airlines (via Brussels Airlines)

Lufthansa is enlisting Brussels Airlines in a new collaboration with United Airlines: teams in Frankfurt, Chicago, and Brussels are working on joint connecting flights from the USA to Africa. Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr hints at a “major project” at the Brussels hub. 

Lufthansa aims to develop Brussels into a hub for Africa connections from and to the United States.

According to CEO Carsten Spohr, Lufthansa is aiming for an agreement with United Airlines for joint “Africa traffic via Brussels.” “This is a major project with United, from which we expect a lot,” Spohr said last week in Frankfurt.

Lufthansa also plans to accelerate the rebuilding of the short-haul network at Brussels Airlines. The company “overshot the mark” in capacity reduction in Brussels and will increase feeder traffic for profitable African routes, Spohr announced.

“A True Global Hub“

Brussels Airlines declined to comment in detail on the project. “But it’s no secret that we have ambitious growth plans for our long-haul network,” said a spokesperson for aero.de.

The Belgian Lufthansa subsidiary points to existing alliances with United and Air Canada in transatlantic traffic. There is potential in these “transatlantic capacities” to make Brussels a “true global hub for passengers traveling to and from Africa,” the spokesperson added.

Brussels Airlines will soon have ten Airbus A330s available for intercontinental routes. The airline aims to utilize the long-haul fleet more extensively than before the crisis with flights to Africa and serves 18 destinations on the continent.

Source: Lufthansa plant neues Großprojekt mit United (aero.de)