The Lufthansa Group’s Supervisory Board has called for the suspension of the 2021 EU-Qatar open skies agreement, citing corruption allegations during its negotiation and significant competitive distortions affecting EU airlines.
The resolution references the Qatargate scandal, where European Parliament officials were allegedly bribed by Qatar and other nations, leading to a suspension of Qatar-related legislation and raising serious legal concerns regarding the open skies deal.
Lufthansa has voiced its dissatisfaction with the market imbalances between European carriers and Asian airlines, particularly criticizing the increased flights by Chinese and Turkish airlines over Russia, which it claims disadvantage EU-based airlines.
The company also requests a reassessment of the EU’s bureaucratic burden and climate policies, advocating for the economic impacts to be considered in regulatory revisions and announcing the closure of its tour operator brand, Lufthansa Holidays, to concentrate on Eurowings Holidays starting January 1, 2025.
