Etihad Goes To Court To Maintain Air Berlin Code-share Flights

Etihad Airways today applied for an injunction in a German court in an effort to protect its code-share flights with Air Berlin when temporary service rights expire with the start of the German carrier’s winter schedule on October 25.

The Abu Dhabi-based carrier said it couldn’t wait any longer for the German government to decide whether or not to approve Etihad’s code share on Air Berlin flights to 29 destinations in Europe, the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates. The services in question account for 82,000 passenger journeys, the Abu Dhabi-based airline said.

“The launch of legal action is also designed to help protect the German carrier’s 8,000 employees and provide passengers with clarity and confidence,” Etihad said in a statement. Etihad owns 29.2 percent of Air Berlin, Germany’s second-largest airline.

The German government approved the code shares for last winter and this past summer but has yet to extend the authority for this winter as Germany and the UAE work to negotiate a bilateral aviation agreement.

“In the absence of any decision from German authorities—who have approved seven Etihad Airways schedules, including all of the code shares with Air Berlin since 2012—the airline was left with no alternative but to file a pre-emptive injunction with the Administrative Court of Braunschweig,” said Etihad.