The Lufthansa Group’s Lufthansa Innovation Hub, established in 2014, has opened its first foreign office in Singapore and is planning a second in Shanghai this year “in response to the rapidly increasing importance of the Asian technology sector for the future of travel and mobility”.
It said the move to Asia with a focus on new digital business models is part of Lufthansa Group’s digital strategy which “envisions a decisive expansion of digital activities along the entire travel and mobility chain” and “building a sustainable network with leading technology players”.
“More than ever, Asian startups, but also digital enterprises, are the driving force behind fundamental changes along the travel chain. With the expansion of the Lufthansa Innovation Hub, we want to become a serious part of this emerging ecostystem,” said Dr Christian Langer, vice president digital strategy, Lufthansa Group and managing director of Lufthansa Innovation Hub.
The hub in Singapore has been quick off its feet, already completing its first research alliance project with INSEAD in Singapore. “The Future of Work” research explores the transformation of business travel, its key findings to be likely published in a whitepaper and validated “under real-world conditions” in a test project.
To that end, LIH is in discussions with WeWork, Singapore’s Changi International Airport and Munich Airport.
“Singapore is clearly a pioneer of mobility innovation and our first collaboration with INSEAD and other players strongly attests to how eager established local players are to experiment and explore,” said Gleb Tritus, managing director of Lufthansa Innovation Hub.
Lufthansa’s concerted move into the digital innovation space follows Singapore Airlines’ recent unveiling of its new innovation lab, KrisLab, a move it says that will transform itself into “the world’s leading digital airline”
The lab serves as a collaborative workspace for the airline staff to develop innovative ideas and co-innovate with external partners, start-ups, established incubators and accelerators. (Read more about this in The Wrap)
