Lufthansa Airline introduces non-stop flights between Pune and Frankfurt from July 1, 2008. The new six weekly flights are operated by an Airbus A319, offering a total of 48 seats in an all-business class configuration.
This new Lufthansa Business Jet service will be the first to link Pune non-stop to Europe, and will offer significant convenience for passengers. Previously, the majority of passengers would take more than three hours to travel to Mumbai, the nearest international air hub, for departure to Europe. The new service complements the current daily Mumbai-Frankfurt flights, as well as the thrice-weekly Mumbai-Munich flights to commence on 5 May 2008.
“We are pleased that India is the first country in Asia-Pacific to be served by Lufthansa Business Jet service, strengthening Lufthansa’s leading position in the region. By being the first airline connecting the city of Pune to Europe, Lufthansa is providing a link to facilitate business ties and further exchange between the two regions,” said Uwe Mueller, Vice President Asia & Pacific, Lufthansa.
“We are delighted to announce Pune as the newest destination in the Lufthansa India network and enhance our engagement across the country. We hope that this move will fulfil the increasing demand in one of the fastest-growing destinations in India. This service will offer even faster and more convenient access between Pune and Europe for business travellers in India,” said Werner Heesen, Director South Asia, Lufthansa.
Pune, the eighth largest city in India, is home to many large international firms in the IT, biotechnology and biochemistry sectors. The region is also regarded as the centre of the automotive industry and a key manufacturing base for numerous international car manufacturing companies in India. European carmakers as well as leading Indian carmakers, manufacture cars in their plants mainly for the Asian market. The city is also an up and coming medical tourism destination, targeting overseas patients, including those from Europe.
Thanks to the spacious cabin layout, passengers can relax in a quiet atmosphere with exclusive service. The small number of passengers onboard each Business Jet flight allows for short boarding and disembarkation times. To cater to the travel requirements of business travellers, the aircraft will provide convenient departure and arrival times that have been specially coordinated to provide onward connections to destinations in Europe, the US and Canada.
Operated in cooperation with PrivatAir, a VIP and business aviation specialist, Lufthansa’s Business Jet service provides passengers with Lufthansa’s full onboard service. Lufthansa Business Jet currently operates between Frankfurt-New York (Newark), and will fly between Munich-Dubai as of 1 May 2008.
The business jets are equipped with special in-flight innovations such as, modern lie-flat seats providing an almost horizontal sleeping surface measuring two metres in length, with generous legroom and spacious storage areas. Each seat is also equipped with a high-quality DVD player with large display and excellent picture quality, on which the passenger can select his personal video programme. Power plugs for notebooks and reading lamps integrated into the seats provide an enhanced working environment. Flight attendants look after the comfort and safety of customers and serve culinary delicacies from Lufthansa’s Star Chefs programme.
The new service at a glance
Schedule: (all times are local times)
Inaugural Flight: July 1, 2008
LH 769 Pune 09:15 – Frankfurt 14:35
Daily except for Sundays
LH 768 Frankfurt 19:50 – Pune 07:35
Daily except for Saturdays
Flight time (average)
Pune – Frankfurt: 8 hours 50 minutes
Frankfurt – Pune: 8 hours 15 minutes
Distance: 6,673 kilometres / 4,146 miles
Aircraft type: Airbus A319LR (Lufthansa Business Jet, operated by PrivatAir)
Seating capacity: 48 Seats (Business Class)
The flights will provide passengers with a maximum choice of 55 weekly flights between India and Germany, enhancing Lufthansa’s position as a leading international carrier in India.
Together with SWISS, Lufthansa will offer 69 flights a week from India to Europe via its three efficient hubs – Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich. Since 2001, Lufthansa has almost quadrupled its flights to India, when the airline operated 15 flights per week to three destinations.
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