LUFTHANSA has steadily increased its presence in the Middle East and presently serves 13 cities in 10 countries.
Last year saw a massive investment in Saudi Arabia, with an upgrade to 14 weekly flights – seven from Riyadh and seven from Jeddah. In April 2010 the German carrier launched a new service between the Saudi capital and its Munich gateway in southern Germany and a new service between Erbil, Iraq and Frankfurt. At the end of October Abu Dhabi and Muscat saw an increase in the number of frequencies to daily.
From its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich the airline serves nine destinations in the Gulf with double-daily flights to Dubai and daily flights to Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Bahrain, Doha, Kuwait, Riyadh and Jeddah. Three weekly flights go to Dammam. Further destinations in the Middle East include Beirut, Amman, Tehran and Erbil, Iraq. Flights from Munich to the Iraqi capital of Baghdad are planned for 2011.
“The UAE, Saudi Arabia and other markets in the Middle East are of key strategic importance to Lufthansa. The market environment is challenging but we are recording healthy growth and we look forward to future ventures with confidence,” said Joachim Steinbach, Lufthansa’s vice president Middle East, Africa and Southeast Europe.
In May Lufthansa unveiled its new first class (pictured) – the world’s quietest – as it accepted delivery of its first Airbus A380. The new first-class cabin features a sleek and elegant European design with high-quality leather surfaces and premium interior design fabrics.
“The A380 offers our passengers a first-rate travel experience. The dimensions of the Airbus A380 and its flight characteristics make travelling on this aircraft a truly unique experience. In all three travel classes, our passengers can enjoy the ultimate in comfort. The exceptional and exclusive first-class concept, which was designed according to our passengers’ wishes and needs, is particularly impressive,” said Thierry Antinori, member of the Lufthansa German Airlines board responsible for marketing and sales.
At the end of October the carrier reintroduced the first-class option on its daily Bahrain-Frankfurt service. The deployment of the 221-seat Airbus comes with a marked increase of the capacity on the route. Lufthansa’s A340-300 features a classic three-class cabin configuration with eight seats in first class, 48 in business and 165 in economy.
“With the deployment of a wide-body jet and an increase in capacity, Lufthansa underlines its commitment to Bahrain,” said Schaher Murad, Lufthansa’s regional manager for Bahrain and the eastern province of Saudi Arabia.
“I am very happy to once again be able to offer our customers in Bahrain the full Lufthansa product range, including first class.”
An important factor in customer comfort is the new first-class seat, which combines ergonomics and comfort to allow customers to individually adjust the seating or the lie-flat position. Measuring 2.07 m in length and 80 cm in width, it is the best bed in class.
The airline’s entire long-haul fleet will be equipped with the new first class facilities starting next year.