Lufthansa is set to launch non-stop flights between its Munich hub and Dubai. The flights, operated by the Airbus A350, will operate over the winter season to coincide with the opening of the Expo 2020 exhibition, postponed until this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
As it starts to get back on its feet alongside the rest of the aviation industry, Lufthansa is looking at where passengers want to fly, and therefore, where it can make money. A crucial part of this calculation involves picking the right aircraft, with the airline’s A350 aircraft being the most efficient in the fleet.
Heading to Dubai
Dubai is already a well-established destination for the German flag carrier. Earlier this year, it was operating its India flights via the Middle Eastern mega-hub, seeing its Boeing 747s arriving at the airport, alongside the Airbus widebodies regularly flying to the airport.
Now, another of the Lufthansa widebody fleet is set to head east. From October first, the airline will fly to Dubai from Munich three times a week with the Airbus A350. The flight is initially scheduled to run until April 23rd to coincide with the end of the Barvarian Easter holidays. In July, rival airline Emirates is set to resume A380 flights to Munich.
It seems that Lufthansa is yet to load the flight data into its schedules, and as such, we don’t yet know which three days of the week the flight will run on. Going off of the start and end dates, we can assume that Friday will be one day of operation. The airline did, however, reveal the flight times. According to Lufthansa, the flight will operate as follows,
- LH638 – Munich (MUC) 22:30 – Dubai (DXB) 06:40+1 – 06h10m
- LH639 – Dubai (DXB) 08:30 – Munich (MUC) 12:50 – 04h20m
Commenting on the route launch, Stefan Kreuzpaintner, Head of the Munich hub and Head of Sales for the Lufthansa Group, said,
“We are pleased to be able to offer an attractive long-haul destination…. Due to the high demand, Munich is the third hub of the Lufthansa Group to add Dubai to its flight schedule, after Frankfurt and Zurich… our passengers will be able to travel from Munich to the Emirates on the most sustainable long-haul aircraft in our fleet: the Airbus A350-900.”
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Upgrading the route
This isn’t the first time that Lufthansa has operated flights between Munich and Dubai. The route was a regular fixture of the Lufthansa flight schedule from 2003 to 2016. When it was brought to an end in 2016, the Airbus A330 was operating the route.
Replacing the Airbus A330 with the A350 will be a boon to the airline. As mentioned, the aircraft is the most sustainable in the long-haul fleet. It also uses less fuel than other aircraft types, meaning that more profits are to be had.
The A350 comes in a three-cabin configuration with business class, premium economy, and economy. From 2023, the airline will begin taking delivery of A350s with first class. If the route is a success, perhaps we may see the first class cabin on it one day.
What do you make of the new Airbus A350 route to Dubai? Let us know what you think and why in the comments below!
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