The European Commission issued a Supplementary Statement of Objections to Lufthansa, requiring the airline to reinstate its feed traffic agreements with Condor for flights to and from Frankfurt airport.
This interim measure aims to maintain competition on the Frankfurt-New York route, where Lufthansa, United, and Air Canada’s A++ transatlantic joint venture (JV) has allegedly restricted market competition.
Condor relies on special prorate agreements (SPAs) with Lufthansa to connect short-haul feed traffic to its long-haul flights. Lufthansa terminated these agreements in 2020, with transitional arrangements ending in December 2024.
Without SPAs, Condor may be forced off the Frankfurt-New York route, further reducing competition.
The Commission has preliminarily found that the A++ JV restricts competition and reinstating SPAs is necessary to prevent irreparable harm to the market.
The decision is part of a broader antitrust investigation into the A++ JV, focusing on its impact on transatlantic competition under EU and EEA competition laws. The investigation continues, with no set deadline for completion.
