Lufthansa separates from Russian caterer Aeromar over allegations

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Lufthansa catering: Canteen kitchen operator Aeromar in Russia is becoming a problem

Photo: Daniel Reinhardt/dpa

Despite the sanctions against Russia, Deutsche Lufthansa is apparently still active in the Russian market via detours.

This is shown by research by the ZDF political magazine »frontal«.

Lufthansa holds 49 percent of the Russian airline caterer Aeromar through its subsidiary LSG, while the Russian state airline Aeroflot owns the remaining 51 percent of the company shares.

Aeromar operates several locations in Russia with canteen kitchens to cater for passengers of Aeroflot and other airlines on board.

Aeromar also opened a location in Crimea, which was annexed by Russia, in 2014.

On request, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba criticized Lufthansa "should honestly say: We have nothing against blood money".

The group does business "despite the spilled Ukrainian blood and damages the reputation of Germany".

He urged the company's management to immediately withdraw from Aeromar and stop supporting Russia's war crimes.

Lufthansa rejects violation of sanctions

Due to the report on the caterer connection to Russia, Lufthansa now wants to separate from Aeromar.

This will either happen as part of the planned sale of the subsidiary LSG or separately from it, said a group spokesman.

The reason for this decision is the ZDF research.

At the same time, Lufthansa rejected the allegations: "No EU sanctions were violated." The Lufthansa Group was only a minority shareholder and therefore not involved in the decision to build a kitchen in the Crimean city of Simferopol.

In addition, as a Russian company, Aeromar is not subject to EU sanctions regulations, the group argued.

The European Union decided to impose sanctions after Russia annexed Crimea.

Accordingly, European companies are banned from »the establishment of joint ventures in relation to the establishment, acquisition or development of infrastructure in the areas of transport in Crimea or in Sevastopol«.

This is what EU regulation 825/2014 of July 30, 2014 says. After the Russian attack on Ukraine in February 2022, the sanctions were expanded and tightened.

The chairman of the Bundestag's Europe Committee, Anton Hofreiter (Greens), has now called for the sanctions laws to be tightened.

The EU must make it clear "that violations of the sanctions are punishable throughout Europe," Hofreiter told ZDF magazine.

This also includes the question of minority participation.

»This must be clearly regulated so that no one can make excuses anymore.«

kig