IT was on November 2, 1976, that the first Lufthansa flight touched down at Abu Dhabi International Airport, then called Abu Dhabi Al Bateen Executive Airport. The airline added flights to Dubai in May of the same year. Today, 35 years later, Lufthansa flies 21 times a week between the UAE and Germany, with daily flights from Abu Dhabi to Frankfurt and daily services from Dubai to Frankfurt and Munich.
“Abu Dhabi is an important industrial and cultural centre in the Gulf region, and for 35 years it has been on Lufthansa’s destination map,” said Peter Pollak, Lufthansa general manager UAE and director Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq. “This is proof of our long-term commitment to the whole region and to the UAE in specific. The UAE is a significant trade partner for Germany and a popular destination for holiday makers. There is also a steadily growing demand from UAE residents travelling to Europe and to over 20 Lufthansa destinations in the US and Canada.”
In Frankfurt or Munich Lufthansa passengers have access to the carrier’s global route network with 100 destinations in Europe and 198 globally, in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. Across the Middle East Lufthansa serves 13 destinations in 10 countries.
In its winter timetable which started October 30, Lufthansa added three new destinations to its route network: Rio de Janeiro, Aberdeen and London Gatwick. The airline now serves 198 destinations in 82 countries. Lufthansa passengers aiming for a trip to Rio de Janeiro will have a choice of five non-stop flights per week between Frankfurt and Rio de Janeiro. Beginning this winter timetable, passengers travelling to London can also opt to fly to London Gatwick served twice a day from Frankfurt. Lufthansa also serves Aberdeen three times daily from Frankfurt.
Earlier this year, for the second straight year, Lufthansa was named “Best European Airline serving the Middle East” in the Business Traveller Middle East Awards. Recently, readers of the Business Traveller Deutschland ranked Lufthansa in top place in two categories in 2010. In a magazine poll of around 2,000 readers, Lufthansa clinched the best marks for superb service from a majority of the respondents, placing the airline twice at the top of the scorecard. Besides winning in the “Best Business Class on German and European Routes“, the carrier left the competition trailing in the voting for the “Best Airline Website for Business Travellers” category.