Lufthansa Group’s German low-cost airline Eurowings is set to cooperate with Czech airline Smartwings following a codeshare agreement between the two airlines. As part of an effort to expand its market share in central Europe, the agreement will allow the airlines to sell seats on flights operated by the other.
The new partnership comes just as Eurowings commenced operations from a new base at Prague Airport on October 31, 2021.
Prague was severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, losing many of its direct connections to Europe. However, steps are already being made to re-establish these connections, Eurowings noted.
The agreement means Eurowings flights will also be offered under Smartwings flight numbers and sold on both smartwings.com and its other sales channels, expanding Eurowings’ reach in its new base.
In a press release dated November 1, 2021, Eurowings CEO Jens Bischof said: “We are delighted about the codeshare agreement with our partner Smartwings that will strengthen our position at our new Prague base. By operating from a highly attractive European city, we want to offer even more business and leisure travelers attractive non-stop connections throughout Europe.”
In response to the announcement, Smartwings Board member and CEO, Roman Vik stated: “Our long-term priority is to expand the range of destinations, and, thanks to a new partnership with Eurowings, we will be able to offer convenient connections to a wide portfolio of destinations to our customers.”
According to the press release, the first Eurowings / Smartwings codeshare flights will depart from Prague in a few weeks.
As of October 31, 2021, Eurowings is connecting Prague with 14 new European destinations.The carrier intends to station three Airbus A320 aircraft, including local crews, in the Czech capital by summer 2022.
Flights are being operated by Eurowings Europe, Eurowings’ pan-European flight operation, which is increasing the number of bases the carrier has outside of its home market of Germany.