In 2011, Lufthansa carried around 680.000 passengers on routes between Romania and its German hubs - Frankfurt, Munich and Dusseldorf, an increase of about 15% over the previous year. The number of passengers carried by Lufthansa Group, including its partners Austrian Airlines and SWISS, exceeded 1,1 million, 15% more than in 2010.
Worldwide, a total of 106,3 million passengers chose to fly with Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, BMI and Germanwings. This equates to an increase of 7,5 percent compared to the previous year. A total of 65,5 million passengers flew Lufthansa aircraft in 2011. SWISS carried approximately 16,4 million passengers; the number of Austrian Airlines passengers reached 11,3 million; around 5,7 million passengers chose to fly with bmi, and Germanwings had about 7,5 million passengers.
“We are very pleased to see such a significant growth on the Romanian market. An increase in the number of passengers over 20 percent means that we have absorbed the extra capacity in the 2011, which has led to a higher loading level and better profitability. Moreover, this evolution highlights the constant success that we have registered in this market in recent years ”, said Ofer Kisch, General Manager for Central and Eastern Europe, Lufthansa Group. “Due to the obvious growth above the market evolution level, we have managed to obtain a bigger market share and to sustainably strengthen our position in Romania”he added. "This shows that our continued investments in the products and services we provide bring results, and our customers appreciate our efforts to improve them."
After he went into service Airbus A380, flagship aircraft of the fleet, Lufthansa will be the launch customer of Boeing 747-8, which will be delivered later this year. We will thus offer our customers a new level of Business Class, as well as an exclusive First Class and an innovative Economy class.
Together with its Austrian Airlines and SWISS partners, Lufthansa Group increased the number of passengers transported by 15 percentage, thus becoming the most important international airline network in Romania. "Today, most Romanians will choose an airline from Lufthansa Group to travel long distances," said Kisch.
Expansion program for Romania
The most important operator in Europe will continue to invest in the Romanian market throughout this year. Starting with June, Lufthansa will offer four direct weekly flights from Bucharest to the new airport in Berlin (BER). Lufthansa will significantly increase its presence in the German capital by increasing its capacity with 40 percent and by investing over 60 million in the 35 of aircraft to be delivered until then. Moreover, from March 25 Lufthansa will double its services from Sibiu to Munich two flights a day, which will significantly improve the connections between Transylvania and the global Lufthansa network. Munich Airport offers excellent benefits and efficient transfer services.
Also, also from 25 March, SWISS will have two daily flights from Bucharest to Zurich. The new operating ranges, including the existing one, improve access to the global network over 70 of destinations owned by SWISS. Thus, destinations such as New York, Paris or London can be accessed faster from Bucharest.