Jens Bischof (third from left), Board Member of Lufthansa German Airlines, with other Lufthansa officials, during a press conference in Riyadh.CELEBRATING 25 years in Riyadh and marking its continued confidence with its more than 50 years in the Kingdom, Lufthansa German Airlines announced Saturday that it will increase its service to Munich from Riyadh to five flights weekly beginning May 16, 2013. The Munich service also connects Jeddah via Riyadh. Lufthansa also announced the launch of a new non-stop flight from Munich to Vancouver from the same date, connecting passengers from Saudi Arabia more conveniently to the largest city in Western Canada. Lufthansa German Airlines celebrates its local silver jubilee this month, having completed 25 years of operations in Riyadh. Since launching flights from Riyadh to Frankfurt in 1987, the airline has been increasing its presence and capacity in the Kingdom. Lufthansa first arrived in Dammam more than 50 years ago followed by Jeddah in 1967. Today, Lufthansa offers flights from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam to Frankfurt and Jeddah via Riyadh to Munich. The increased capacity on the Munich route from May 2013 will bring the total number of weekly flights offered by the airline to 23 to passengers from the Kingdom. Jens Bischof, Board Member of Lufthansa German Airlines, who flew in to Riyadh to celebrate the jubilee, expressed the importance of Saudi Arabia for the airline: “Saudi Arabia is a key market for Lufthansa and is in fact one of the first countries in the Middle East that the airline operated services. With 25 years in Riyadh, 45 years in Jeddah and 52 years in Dammam, our operations in the Kingdom are stronger than ever. Lufthansa remains the only European carrier that serves all three major gateways out of Saudi Arabia. Our continued investment strategy on a global scale is benefitting passengers flying from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. We now have the new Boeing 747-8 that can take them in utmost comfort and convenience to destinations in the USA such as Washington DC and Los Angeles." In Saudi Arabia and the rest of the region, Lufthansa's positioning in the Middle East is going from strength to strength, said Carsten Schaeffer, Lufthansa German Airlines Vice President for Sales and Services for Southeast Europe, Middle East and Africa. “Saudi Arabia is of strategic importance to Lufthansa and we continue to rise above the fierce competition in the market to record healthy growth and we look to an even brighter future over to more fruitful years in the Kingdom. Our investments in products and services, such as the new Business Class cabin we launched in the Boeing 747-8 early this year, also extend on-ground, providing more comfort to passengers. In fact, we have just recently opened the new A-Plus Pier in Frankfurt International Airport's Terminal 1 which makes the transfer processes significantly easier and faster. Lufthansa opened five new lounges at the new pier, one First Class, two Senator and two Business Lounges," Schaeffer added. Lufthansa currently operates daily flights between Riyadh and Frankfurt and three weekly flights from Jeddah via Riyadh to Munich, daily flights from Jeddah to Frankfurt complemented further by four weekly flights between Dammam and Frankfurt. From Frankfurt and Munich, passengers can conveniently connect to over 200 destinations in more than 80 countries, including 21 in North America. When travelling to Europe specifically, passengers find optimal connections to over 100 destinations to choose from. — SG
