Etihad has successfully appealed against a ruling which stopped it from operating 29 of its codeshare flights with Air Berlin.
A German appeals court ruled that 26 of the 31 codeshare routes for the full winter schedule are “lawful”. It means that 76 of the 81 codeshares between Air Berlin and Etihad are allowed to continue.
The court in Luneburg found the international flights were covered under an aviation agreement with the United Arab Emirates from 2000, overturning a lower court's ruling last month that codeshares on the 31 routes couldn't continue beyond January 15.
The court's interpretation of the UAE-Germany Air Services Agreement also means that Etihad will be able to continue with all those codeshares beyond the winter schedule.
Etihad Airways president and CEO, James Hogan, said: “This ruling is a victory for consumers and competition in Germany.
“We remain strongly committed to our strategic partner, Air Berlin, and will redouble our efforts to provide a strong competitive alternative to the dominant German carrier, Lufthansa.
“We would like to encourage German consumers to support Air Berlin and its 8,000 staff, who have been seriously damaged by this sustained attack on their business.”
Sign up to BBT’s twice-weekly newsletter