Airlines
Etihad Regional Partner To Retrench Amid Lufthansa Incursion
Swiss airline calls German group's actions "abusive"
Darwin's 14-strong fleet of turboprops includes 10 Saab 2000s. (Photo: Flickr: Creative Commons (BY-SA) by flybyeigenheer)
Darwin's 14-strong fleet of turboprops includes 10 Saab 2000s. (Photo: Flickr: Creative Commons (BY-SA) by flybyeigenheer)

Less than a month after filing a formal complaint with Switzerland’s competition authority alleging “abusive and anticompetitive” behavior by Lufthansa and its Swiss International subsidiary, Etihad Regional partner Darwin Airline revealed Tuesday that it would cease scheduled flights from Zurich to Lugano and Linz, and from Geneva to Toulouse and Nice in early February. The moves come as the airline prepares to release airplanes for new contract services with other European carriers under a restructuring exercise undertaken in response to both the predatory competition and economic uncertainty. It said it would file a detailed business plan with Switzerland’s Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) by the end of this month.