OREANDA-NEWS. July 13, 2012. All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd. (ANA) today filed an application with the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) for antitrust immunity (ATI) to add Swiss International Air Lines and Austrian Airlines, both Lufthansa Group carriers, to its Japan-Europe joint venture with Lufthansa German Airlines. The expanded bilateral joint venture between Lufthansa Group and ANA will offer customers greater convenience and improved access to intra-Europe routes.

Subject to ATI approval, ANA, Lufthansa, Swiss International Air Lines and Austrian Airlines will prepare to launch joint sales initiatives and plan to launch joint sales and pricing products from spring 2013. ANA and Lufthansa have been working to deepen their partnership over the last year, offering joint products on selected routes from October 2011 with a full range of cooperation in the bilateral joint venture as of April 1st, 2012.

This joint venture would help support ANA's strategy to expand its international network by 22% during 2012-13 and further builds on the ANA/United Airlines joint venture on trans-Pacific routes launched in April 2011.