Lufthansa Group signed a memorandum of understanding with Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane S.p.A whereby its passengers can board the Italian carrier’s trains. The intention is to negotiate a contract whereby the state-owned railway company will feed the airports where the airline operates within Italy.
This will seek to connect the different modes of transport, which would benefit the customer. The aim of the planned cooperation is, for Lufthansa at least, to allow its passengers to travel using the railway company’s trains, arriving at their respective connections at various Italian airports.
The German group is apparently betting heavily on the Italian market, as it is amid negotiations for a stake in ITA Airways. Negotiations between Lufthansa and the Italian Ministry of Economy (MEF) to find an agreement that would allow Lufthansa to enter ITA with a minority stake formally began on January 18, with the airline proposing six weeks of exclusive negotiations. After that, the agreement should be submitted to the various European regulators.
Related content: Lufthansa reactivates a second Airbus A380
Turning to the pact between Lufthansa and the railway company, it is worth noting that the exact design of the program is now the subject of further negotiations. As always, should a contract be signed, the implementation of the cooperation would be subject to the approval of the competent authorities.
Lufthansa already operates similar intermodal cooperation programs in its home markets with Deutsche Bahn, ÖBB, and SBB, among others. In total, the airlines of the Lufthansa Group currently offer their passengers more than 3,000 weekly train or bus connections from more than 40 cities. As early as 2001, Lufthansa signed a cooperation agreement with Deutsche Bahn for rail connections to its airports, LH Express Rail.
