Lufthansa looks at positive growth for Middle East region

Despite a globally challenging market environment, Lufthansa continues to expand its route network for the Gulf and Middle East, in line with its corporate strategy to link the oil producing countries to Germany and onwards.

With the beginning of the summer schedule 2009, Lufthansa will increase the capacity on its routes between the Gulf / Middle East and Germany by 40%, between the UAE and Germany by 110% compared to the previous year, thus using profitable market opportunities and providing greater flexibility for its customers.

During his visit to the region, Thierry Antinori, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Lufthansa German Airlines, said:

"The markets of the Middle East and the Gulf are viewed as an excellent opportunity to further develop our route network and position Lufthansa as the number one choice for business travellers."

Through this, he affirmed the underlying importance of the region for the airline's growth in one of its strategically important markets. Despite the current economic situation, the region provides a stable and positive economic climate with many multinational companies and governmental institutions present.

In the past four years, Lufthansa has successfully launched new routes in the Gulf and Middle East with new destinations on its map. "We have done a lot to expand our reach. Now it is the time to optimize our route network as part of our strategy to further enhance our strong market presence," reiterated Thierry Antinori.

With the beginning of the summer schedule Lufthansa will fly daily from Muscat, Jeddah, Riyadh and Beirut to Frankfurt, and increase its capacity for Iran as well as on the Dubai-Munich route with using bigger aircraft. Sana'a will be served four times a week and Dammam with three additional flights with the Lufthansa Business Jet in the months of June and July to connect to Frankfurt.

Currently, Lufthansa connects all the major gateways in the Gulf Region and Middle East with 96 flight connections per week to 14 destinations in 11 countries, giving its customers a greater choice than any other airline present.

A major focus for expansion of Lufthansa has been placed on the African continent with the successful launch of Malabo and Luanda last year and further growth for West Africa on the agenda. More frequencies will be offered in future due to the planned incorporation of Brussels Airlines in the Star Alliance with customers of Lufthansa, SWISS and Brussels Airlines being able to fly to a total of 35 destinations in Africa. In addition, cooperation agreements with the three partners Egypt Air, Ethiopian and South African will provide customers with many more connections from Europe to Africa, as well as on the African continent.

The focus of Lufthansa will remain firmly on the customer, "We fly for them, we invest for them and we work for them and our investments pay off. Last year, we set new records in passenger growth with 57 million customers and top marks achieved in our customer satisfaction index," Thierry Antinori stated. Lufthansa continues to focus on the development of new products and new services and will continue to expand its role as Europe's most attractive airline. The current business climate does not represent a standstill at Lufthansa, but on the contrary. Major investments in the development of products and services will allow the airline to offer its customers true added value and greater comfort when travelling. Regardless of the present economic climate, Lufthansa will continue to invest in the product which stands for quality, safety, reliability and innovation.

Excellent service on ground is equally important as on board, which is reflected in the ongoing Lufthansa investment in lounges and terminal facilities which speaks for itself. By 2013, the airline will have invested around EUR150m in the renovation and improvement of its lounges across the globe. New lounges in Frankfurt, Munich, New York and Mumbai have been recently opened.

"Lufthansa posted a very good result for 2008, inspite of the challenges of the market. It reflects the quality of our company. A company in which a strong team, strong products and a strong balance sheet were decisive in ensuring success. Above all, Lufthansa is positioned more strongly then ever today, because of its prudent and solid financial back¬ground". Underlining the opportunities and market potentials the Gulf region and Middle East offers, Thierry Antinori further said, "Our financial and operational flexibility will allow us to benefit from the opportunities that come our way. We intend to maintain our lead in the far more challenging environment of 2009."

"We are on a good course here and are continuing it," Thierry Antinori said in his closing statement. "In times of crisis we are not flustered; we plan with foresight and with a strong focus on service for our valued customers". These are times that lead to payoffs as well, ensuring Lufthansa's leading position for the future.