Lufthansa accepts tweaked demands

Lufthansa’s management board has accepted a more favourable set of demands from the European Commission in exchange for approval of a 9 billion euro ($10 billion) government bailout, the carrier said on Saturday, paving the way for its rescue.

The agreement comes after the airline’s supervisory board on Wednesday rejected an initial deal with Brussels including conditions that were much more painful.

Lufthansa and the rest of the airline sector have been hard hit by what is expected to be a protracted travel slump due to the pandemic.

Under the latest agreement, Lufthansa said it will be obliged to transfer up to 24 takeoff and landing slots for up to four aircraft to one rival each at the Frankfurt and Munich airports.

This translates into three take-off and three landing rights per aircraft and day, it said, confirming what sources had earlier told Reuters.

“For one-and-a-half years, this option is only available to new competitors at the Frankfurt and Munich airports,” Lufthansa said, initially excluding budget carrier Ryanair. “If no new competitor makes use of this option, it will be extended to existing competitors at the respective airports.” The previous deal had included forfeiting 72 slots used by 12 of 300 jets based at the Frankfurt and Munich airports, a source familiar with the matter said.

The slots, to be allocated in a bidding process, can be taken over only by a European peer that has not received any substantial state aid during the pandemic, Lufthansa said. The Commission said once it has been notified by Germany on the aid package it will assess the issue as a priority. “(Lufthansa’s remedies will) enable a viable entry or expansion of activities by other airlines at these airports to the benefit of consumers and effective competition,” it said.