Lufthansa and aviation rivals clash in London court over power outlet profits
German airline Lufthansa is back in the London courts this week over its long-running patent infringement dispute with a US, a Japanese, and a French aircraft manufacturer.
The legal battle stems back to 2017, when aircraft maintenance group Lufthansa Technik alleged that Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems, Panasonic, and Safran infringed its patent for high-voltage aircraft passenger power outlets.
Although the patent expired in 2018, Lufthansa Technik claims the technology, which allowed passengers to plug in devices without bulky adapters, was copied while the patent was still active.
Lufthansa Technik, a German company that provides maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for aircraft, engines, and components, is a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. The Lufthansa Group was reportedly in talks to sell a stake in its aircraft maintenance business in 2022, but the airline abandoned the talks after a change in the group’s internal strategy, which is pursuing an aggressive plan to push revenues past €10bn by 2030.
The dispute forms part of a wider, long‑running litigation battle that began in Germany in 2010. The English proceedings began in 2017 against Astronics and Safran, and in 2019 against Panasonic.
Following a 2020 trial, the London Patents Court handed down a lengthy judgment where it ruled that the patent was valid and that the defendants infringed it.
The decision by the Patents Court was taken to the Court of Appeal in 2022, which upheld the ruling that the defendants infringed Lufthansa’s patent.
The case was sent back to the High Court division to resolve the highly technical financial disputes arising from this decision.
In early 2025, Mr Justice Leech established that the defendants had to account to Lufthansa for profits. The court held Lufthansa was entitled to interest because once profits were earned, the defendants were treated as holding them for Lufthansa.
No happy party
However, both sides are unhappy with how the High Court calculated the financial payout, leading the parties back to the Court of Appeal this week. The hearing begins on Tuesday and set to run until Friday.
Both the defendants and the German airline maintenance business are seeking to appeal four different aspects of the case.
Lufthansa is appealing because it believes the financial award is too low, while the three defendants are appealing because they believe the award is too final, includes unlawful interest, and risks overpaying Lufthansa.