Lufthansa is expanding its route network from three to five destinations in China in the year of the Olympic summer games in Peking.

Starting summer 2008 it will then be laying on the first flights by a European airline to route newcomers Nanjing from Frankfurt and Shenyang from Munich alongside its existing services to Peking, Shanghai and Guangzhou (Canton). Both the new connections will be operated by an Airbus A340-300 seating 221 passengers in First, Business and Economy Class.

Together with its services to the new destinations, Germany’s largest carrier will be operating a total of 58 flights weekly from its Frankfurt and Munich hubs to the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong. ‘With Nanjing and Shenyang in the timetable, Lufthansa will be offering customers convenient and fast services to two further major Chinese cities, said Karl Ulrich Garnadt, Executive Vice President Services and Human Resources Lufthansa Passenger Airlines. ‘Among European airlines, Lufthansa has by far the best services to China with the most weekly direct connections and the widest choice of destinations. With the steady expansion of our network and with our new Chinese Star Alliance member-airlines, we are well poised for global competition in Asia now and also in the future.’

From 31 March 2008, Lufthansa is laying on five non-stop flights weekly on the new route ex Frankfurt to Nanjing. The City at the Yangtze River Delta lies about 270 kilometres west of Shanghai and has an important inland port. Between the two cities is one of China’s major commercial regions equipped with a good motorway network and where a number of German and international companies have set up branches. Many of the locations in the densely population region are within faster reach from Nanjing than from Shanghai. The new connection will certainly also offer a convenient alternative for Shanghai passengers.

The second new connection, which comes on stream from 8 June 2008, will link Munich thrice weekly with the Shenyang metropolis with a stopover in Seoul. The provincial capital in the northeast of China is located around 700 kilometres from Peking and ranks among China’s big industrial centres. Aside from automobile and aircraft production, the City is the home of an important IT sector. Shenyang is also one of the venues for the Olympics in summer 2008.
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