Lufthansa Group (LHG) is to remove its cheapest Light fares on German domestic routes from GDS EDIFACT platforms from next month.

The European aviation giant said that Light tickets on German flights will only be available through NDC channels from 2 September, including GDS NDC aggregator platforms. The move will apply to all points of sale.

¡°This strategic move is part of LHG¡¯s broader initiative to modernise its retailing approach and strengthen direct distribution,¡± said the group in a statement. ¡°By offering differentiated content through NDC, LHG aims to provide partners with more flexible, future-ready booking solutions.¡±

¡°The performance and feedback of this approach will be tracked closely, and additional measures may be introduced based on the results.¡±

As well as Lufthansa, LHG also includes sister carriers Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings and Swiss.

Airlines around the world have increasingly started to charge fees on EDIFACT bookings in recent years as they look to drive bookings through NDC-based channels.

In a separate NDC-related move, LHG is temporarily restricting how bookings can be made on flights from Singapore to destinations in the DACHB (Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium) region on a trial basis.

This means that from 1 September to 30 November, fares in the K, L, T and S booking classes for Singapore departures will only be available via NDC channels and the LHG airlines¡¯ websites.

¡°The performance and feedback of this approach will be tracked closely, and additional measures may be introduced based on the results,¡± said Lufthansa in a statement.