The airline is reacting to tough competition and is putting an important connection to Asia to the test. A decision is expected soon.
In view of tough competition, Lufthansa is putting its daily connection from Frankfurt to the Chinese capital Beijing to the test. The airline is continuously evaluating and optimizing its entire route network, said a Lufthansa spokesman in Frankfurt. A decision on the daily flights from Frankfurt to Beijing will be made in October. Lufthansa will continue to offer a daily connection to Beijing via Munich Airport. “Spiegel” had previously reported this.
The background to these considerations is international competition. “European airlines are in extremely unequal competition with China, as well as with airlines from the Persian Gulf and the Bosporus,” criticizes Lufthansa. All airlines from these countries benefit from low location costs, low social standards and high government investments in the aviation sector. “In contrast to European and American airlines, they have also been using Russian airspace for more than two years. The shorter routes result in further cost advantages.”
EU airlines, on the other hand, are increasingly confronted with political conditions that weaken their competitiveness, complains Lufthansa. These include rising taxes and fees, high regulatory requirements, additional climate policy requirements and inadequate infrastructure. Politicians in Germany and Europe must find new industrial policy answers to this imbalance.
Source: Stern
