US fines Lufthansa and SWISS for United codeshare flights in prohibited airspace 

The United States (US) Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued Lufthansa and SWISS with six-figure fines after operating flights carrying United Airlines’ designator code in prohibited airspace. 

According to the DOT, Lufthansa was given a $220,000 and SWISS a $200,000 fine for breaking Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules restricting where US operators can fly. 

When flying under their codeshare agreements with United Airlines, both Lufthansa and SWISS must abide by US regulations even though they may be operating the flight. 

An investigation by the Department’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP) revealed that between March 2022 and April 2024, Lufthansa operated multiple flights carrying the United Airlines code in prohibited airspace. 

“By operating these flights in this manner, Lufthansa violated the conditions of its authority to operate and engaged in air transportation without the proper DOT authority,” said a spokesperson for the DOT. 

A separate OACP investigation revealed that between February 2022 and March 2024, SWISS operated multiple flights carrying the United Airlines code in airspace prohibited by the FAA to US operators.   

Lufthansa and SWISS were issued with the fines on December 30, 2024, and were ordered to cease and desist from future similar violations.  

While the DOT did not confirm specifically where the violations occurred, previously this year Emirates and Air Canada were fined by the US for flying over Iraqi airspace. 

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