“Air Berlin GmbH & Co. Luftverkehrs KG”, which grew out of Air Berlin Inc., an airline founded in 1978, started to operate flights in 1992 with two Boeing jets and 150 employees. By 2003 the company had already become the second largest airline in Germany. Today its fleet extends to 129 aircraft flying to 146 destinations within Germany, Europe and throughout the world. In 2004 Air Berlin acquired a 24 per cent stake in NIKI Luftfahrt, an airline that Niki Lauda had then just set up in Vienna. Ever since, Air Berlin has implemented a low-fare alliance, with the aim of mutual expansion and exploitation of synergies. In the spring of 2006 Air Berlin was floated on the stock exchange. In August 2006 Air Berlin took over dba Luftfahrtgesellschaft Mnchen, an airline offering predominantly domestic flights.
The route network of these two airlines complemented each other superbly and their share of business passengers increased markedly. New feeder flights for long-haul operations, as well as additional German domestic routes have been operated since the winter of 2007/2008 in conjunction with our co-operation partner LGW Luftfahrtgesellschaft Walter mbH. Since the winter of 2008/2009 Air Berlin has also been co-operating with S7 Airlines and Hainan Airlines on services to Moscow and Beijing. Air Berlin and Pegasus Airlines started working together in autumn 2009. Its takeover of the Dsseldorf-based airline LTU in August 2007 allowed the Air Berlin Group to offer long-haul flights for the first time. The integration of LTU added another 26 A 320 and A 330 series aircraft to the Air Berlin fleet.
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