cartel office
Lufthansa should remain a feeder for Condor
A passenger plane of the holiday airline Condor at the airport in Frankfurt am Main. Photo: Boris Roessler/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
The Lufthansa Group, which was rescued by the state, had initially terminated the long-term contract with Condor and, under pressure from the authorities, suspended this termination until May 10, 2022. Now that has been checked.
According to the Bundeskartellamt, Lufthansa is to provide feeder flights for its competitor Condor beyond May 10th.
In a preliminary examination, the competition authority came to the conclusion that only Lufthansa could provide a permanent feeder service to long-distance flights from Munich, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf airports. It is therefore subject to abuse control and has special obligations, said Cartel Office President Andreas Mundt on Tuesday.
The Lufthansa Group, which was rescued by the state, had initially terminated the long-term contract with Condor and, under pressure from the authorities, suspended this termination until May 10, 2022. With the “Eurowings Discover” brand, the group wants to enter the holiday flight market even more.
The Cartel Office now wants to hear both sides before making a final decision on the main proceedings. “We have concerns about the permissibility of terminating the Condor cooperation if Lufthansa thereby unreasonably hinders its competitor in the downstream markets for long-haul flights,” explained Mundt. The previous contract also contained restrictions on competition that were questionable under antitrust law.