Brands
Air India expands Lufthansa partnership to spread its wings across Europe
MUMBAI: Air India is soaring to new heights in its partnership with the Lufthansa Group, expanding its codeshare network to offer seamless connectivity between India and Europe. The enhanced deal, which now includes Austrian Airlines, adds close to 60 new codeshare routes, bringing the total to nearly 100 flights across 12 Indian and 26 European cities.
For Indian travellers, this means greater access to 26 European destinations and three key American cities beyond Air India’s hubs in Frankfurt, Vienna, and Zurich. Passengers can now book Air India-coded flights on Lufthansa, Swiss, and Austrian Airlines, making travel to cities like Amsterdam, Barcelona, Munich, and Stockholm smoother than ever.
On the flip side, Lufthansa Group customers can now connect to 15 Indian destinations with Air India, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Goa, Kolkata, and Pune. The partnership also extends to Air India’s international routes to Kathmandu, Melbourne, and Sydney from Delhi and Mumbai.
Air India chief commercial officer Nipun Aggarwal stated, “Our goal is to enable our customers to travel seamlessly across the world via Air India and its partner airlines. Expanding our partnership with Lufthansa Group strengthens this mission and elevates the travel experience for our passengers.”
Lufthansa Group chief commercial officer Dieter Vranckx said, “We are thrilled to enhance our cooperation with Air India. This partnership will offer greater travel flexibility and reinforce Lufthansa Group’s commitment to the Indian market.”
As both airlines are part of Star Alliance, frequent flyers can continue to earn and redeem miles, while elite members enjoy priority services, additional baggage allowances, and access to premium lounges.
Subject to regulatory approvals, the expanded codeshare flights will soon be available for booking, promising a smoother and more connected travel experience for passengers across India and Europe.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
