Lufthansa, SWISS Expand Worldwide Network

DALLAS — Lufthansa (LH), the national airline of Germany, and SWISS (LX) have announced a significant expansion of their networks. The mainline carrier plans to launch two passenger routes to the United States and two dedicated air freight connections to Asia and the Middle East.

Starting in June 2024, LH will offer nonstop flights from its main hub in Frankfurt (FRA) to Minneapolis (MSP) and Raleigh-Durham (RDU) as part of its summer strategy for the following year. These new routes will allow LH to compete with other major airlines, namely Delta Air Lines (DL) and American Airlines (AA), in these important markets.

Lufthansa will become the third non-American carrier to provide transatlantic flights from RDU, joining Icelandair (FI) and Air France (AF).

Until the arrival of the A350, the Boeing 777 and A330 will cover most of SWISS' long-haul network. Photo: Alberto Cucini/Airways

SWISS Adds More Star Alliance Destinations

Next, Lufthansa Group airline SWISS (LX) announced today its own network expansion plans, focusing on adding more Star Alliance hub destinations across the Atlantic Ocean.

Starting on March 28, 2024, LX will begin operating a new service from Zurich-Kloten Airport (ZRH) to Washington-Dulles Airport (IAD), the latter a crucial transfer hub for United Airlines (UA) on the US East Coast.

In addition, LX has included Toronto-Pearson Airport (YYZ) on its route map, with six weekly flights starting on May 10, initially for the summer season. Toronto-Pearson is the main base airport for Air Canada (AC) in the Eastern region of the North American country, while Vancouver serves as the largest base airport on the West Coast.

SWISS will operate Airbus A330-300 aircraft on all these flights. The carrier owns and operates 14 of these planes. Although LX has unveiled the cabin layout for its upcoming Airbus A350 aircraft, the airline has not announced the first route it will operate with this new jet, which is expected to arrive in 2025.

Apart from these long-haul routes, LX announced the launch of two new routes within Europe, specifically to Kosice and Cluj-Napoca on the Eastern side of the continent.

Lufthansa Cargo will fly 83 weekly services out of Frankfurt during the winter. Photo: Julian Schöpfer/Airways

Lufthansa Cargo Goes Worldwide

Lufthansa Cargo's expansion differs from its passenger-centered partner. The cargo arm of LH recently shared updates to its schedule, with a strong focus on expanding its operations in the Asian market.

Starting in October, LH Cargo will increase the number of weekly flights from Frankfurt to Tel Aviv to three. Additionally, flights to Hong Kong via Mumbai will now operate on a daily basis.

Furthermore, the airline plans to open two new cargo routes to Asia and the Middle East starting in November 2023. Riyadh and Taipei have been added to the network, with two weekly flights operated by Boeing 777 freighters.

In the North American market, LH Cargo will enhance its presence at Felipe Ángeles International Airport (NLU), the second civilian airport serving the Mexico City metropolitan area, by adding one more frequency, making it a daily service.

In July, the Mexican government relocated all cargo flights from the passenger-dedicated Benito Juarez International Airport (MEX) to NLU.

Featured image: Lufthansa Group

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