Lufthansa Hyderabad-Frankfurt flights from March 26

BY A CORRESPONDENT
March 25, 2006

German airline Lufthansa will start operating daily non-stop fights between Frankfurt and Hyderabad from March 26. Lufthansa is planning to double the overall number of flights to India within three years promising to achieve this growth.

Addressing a press conference, Director of South Asia and General Manager Passenger Sales, Lufthansa, Mr Werner Heesen, said: "As part of the invitation offer, a return ticket between Hyderabad to destinations in Europe would be priced at Rs 19,900 (plus taxes) and is valid for bookings up to April 30."

The Lufthansa move is an invitation offer to European destinations and the US, which is expected to trigger a price war during the summer months. About half of its travellers from India fly to destinations in the North America.So, Lufthansa is offering a return fare of Rs 38,000 to Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.

Lufthansa management also plans to expand their operations covering in India in areas such as cargo, Sky Chefs and its call centre facility based out of Gurgaon. From 23 flights in 2003, the number of flights has gone up to 42 now, and it expects to add four more soon with another destination.