MUNICH Airport’s new summer timetable features five attractive new long-haul routes: a 40-percent increase in the number of nonstop long-haul destinations served from Munich. Lufthansa especially is expanding its offerings in this sector, including new nonstop services to Charlotte (seven times a week), Delhi, Tehran and Vancouver (three weekly flights each).
Another focus of Lufthansa’s commitment to the intercontinental segment is the growth market of China. Lufthansa will be operating its first-ever Munich-Peking service (three flights a week). It is also resuming its flights to Hong Kong, and will bump up the frequency of departures to Shanghai and on to Canton, adding two new weekly flights to bring the total to seven. These developments place Munich alongside Amsterdam and Paris as one of just three European airports offering direct flights to four Chinese destinations. The additions to Lufthansa’s long-haul offerings represent a 67-percent increase over the summer of 2003.
Other high-profile airlines are also boosting their long-haul presence. Delta Airlines is doubling the frequency of its departures to Atlanta with the addition of a second daily flight. Based on current slot bookings, Munich Airport expects an approximately 8 percent increase in aircraft movements. Just in time for the eastward expansion of the European Union, Munich Airport has also firmly established its status position as a major hub for traffic heading for eastern Europe and central Asia. existing services to Warsaw, Wroclaw and Poznan, Lufthansa’s Star Alliance partner. A number of western European routes will also make their debut in Munich in the coming summer timetable period.