Germany's Lufthansa airline marks its 40th year of service to Dubai this year, having started its service to the UAE emirate on May 3, 1976.

Today, Lufthansa German Airlines and Swiss International Airlines serve Dubai daily from Frankfurt and Zurich, respectively, thanks to the steady growth of travel between the Lufthansa Group network of gateways and the UAE.

On the occasion of its jubilee, Harry Hohmeister, chief officer of Hub Management and member of the executive board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG is in Dubai to join in the celebration and reiterates the importance of the market for the passenger airline segment of the group business, but also for services companies.
 
“Lufthansa has a heritage reaching 90 years of aviation expertise and the Dubai market has been part of that for 40 years. Drawing vigour from our own experience is the desire to continue our leadership role in aviation staying number one in reaching new destinations from our hubs and building up on our strengths. Already, we have improved and implemented customer-centric programs which our passengers are benefitting from. We are rolling out our strategies focusing on customers, stakeholders and our fleet as well as identifying new markets of growth whether for our passenger airline business or our aviation service subsidiaries,” noted Hohmeister.
 
Beyond the operations of Lufthansa and Swiss, Lufthansa Technik - a leader in MRO - has planted roots in Dubai’s thriving aviation market, with the decision to establish an airframe component repair shop near Dubai World Central's Al Maktoum International airport. Lufthansa Cargo is continually enhancing its logistics operations, offering freighter service to nearby Sharjah Airport.   

“For Dubai, that would only mean even a closer link to the Lufthansa Group, expanding on years of excellence in aviation, seamless travel experience, consistency of product offering and the quality of service Lufthansa is known for, not only linking millions of passengers from this region through our hubs, added Hohmeister.
 
Tamur Goudarzi-Pour, Lufthansa vice president, sales and services Middle East, Africa & Southeast Europe said: “Our footprint in the Middle East has reached over 60 years in total. This clearly puts the region in high importance and we intend to intensify our service and product offerings on ground and on board in the years to come. Thanks to our customers and partners in the region – government authorities and travel and tour companies for their support and allowing Lufthansa to serve passengers for many years.”

Heading the celebrations in Dubai is Karsten Zang, Lufthansa’s regional director Gulf, I.R. Iran, Afghanistan & Pakistan. “Lufthansa is proud to commemorate 40 years of service to passengers in the UAE. We are also extremely pleased that, coinciding with our jubilee, we are offering all-new cabin products on board and have just opened our Senator and Business Class lounge at the Concourse D of Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 1. Dubai is a key destination especially with the robust travel between the UAE and Germany for both business and leisure. Since 1976, Dubai has been at the core of Lufthansa’s Middle East portfolio connecting passengers to Europe and to over 20 destinations in North America.”

Over the years, the Lufthansa Group has grown and have enriched both destination services and product offerings.

Via Lufthansa’s Frankfurt and Zurich hubs, passengers have access to Lufthansa and Swiss’s global route network in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia.

Arriving at Frankfurt or Zurich, passengers from Dubai can take advantage of Lufthansa Group’s offers, one of the most comprehensive networks of air services in the world, with over 23,140 weekly flights serving 316 destinations in 101 countries during summer.

This vast range of services is further supplemented by over 18,000 codeshare flights offered in collaboration with some 30 partner airlines to provide Lufthansa Group customers with a virtually worldwide air travel network.
 
“In addition to our network carriers serving Dubai, Eurowings successfully operated its seasonal Winter service from Cologne, offering our customers a leisure-oriented product . Our ability to also offer a low-cost model of services further enhances Lufthansa’s support of the Dubai tourist industry,” added Zang.

All-new cabin

Passengers departing from Dubai can now relax on board with Lufthansa’s retrofitted cabins. In the award-winning First Class, passengers can look forward to individual service and a wide selection of top-quality food and drinks. Each of the eight First Class seats can be extended to create a lie-flat bed measuring 2.07 metres in length and 80 cm in width, enabling passengers to enjoy a deep, relaxing sleep. The new Business Class seat offers exceptional comfort, whether in an upright or a reclining position. At the press of a button, the seat converts into a comfortable bed with a horizontal sleeping surface measuring 1.98 metres in length. In Business Class, passengers can select what they want to watch from the expanded inflight entertainment programme and view it on their personal 15-inch monitor. Business Class also boasts of a more personalised, restaurant-style service for inflight meals. The new Premium Economy Class offers 50 per cent more space plus an enhanced service, and passengers can also check in two items of baggage. Economy Class passengers get comfortable in the cabin with seats that are more spacious and ergonomic.

New Senator and Business Class Lounge

As part of its commitment to passengers from Dubai, Lufthansa rolled out its latest product offering on ground. Boasting a 500-sq-m space, Lufthansa opened the doors of its new Senator and Business Class lounge at Concourse D, Terminal 1 of Dubai International Airport. The facility is now available for Lufthansa, SWISS and Star Alliance passengers with Business Class tickets and Frequent Travellers cardholders (Business lounge), as well as guests with Miles & More flyer programme HON circle status, Senator and Star Gold cardholder, and First Class tickets (Senator lounge) so they can rest, dine, relax or freshen up in an exclusive comfort before boarding their flights.

Passengers can freshen up before departing as the lounge offers showers and washrooms and the extensive selection of food and beverages at the bistro will fortify them with fresh delicacies every time. For guests who wish to catch up on reading or work, the comfortable sitting areas are furnished with stylish leather armchairs and the modern work stations have free wi-fi access. Guests can also sit back and relax in the cosy recliners. - TradeArabia News Service