Lufthansa Group leases more aircraft from airBaltic

Lufthansa Group is expanding its partnership with Latvian carrier airBaltic by leasing more aircraft and crews for its short- and medium-haul routes, both sides said on Friday.

Up to 21 airBaltic Airbus A220 jets are to be deployed at various hubs, including Frankfurt and Munich, as early as the 2025 summer flight schedule.

According to the plan, the rental fleet will then be reduced to five aircraft in winter. The contract is valid for three years.

Lufthansa says the use of aircraft and crews outside the group was necessary due to ever-increasing peaks in demand, particularly in the summer flight schedule.

The enlarged capacity will enable Lufthansa to serve high-demand destinations in its route networks more flexibly, it said. In addition, the intercontinental services of its own airlines will be better connected at the hubs.

Until now, most feeder flights to Frankfurt or Munich have been operated by Lufthansa itself or its subsidiary Cityline.

The use of leased aircraft is part of the group's strategy to reduce costs on short and medium-haul routes.

AirBaltic is led by the German manager Martin Gauss and has a modern, standardised fleet of 48 Airbus A220 aircraft. The company is majority-owned by the Latvian state.