London City Airport and Lufthansa have announced that flights between central London and Frankfurt will resume at the start of September. The German airline, one of Europe’s largest and most established carriers, will commence two flights a day between the two global financial centres from Monday 7th September. London City Airport’s Head of Aviation, Anne Doyere, said:
“The resumption of our Frankfurt route is a significant milestone for London City Airport and a positive sign for the UK’s and Europe’s economic recovery, restoring a very popular connection between two of the world’s most important financial centres. “We have already seen demand from passengers to travel, especially for a summer holiday after months of lockdown. As restrictions continue to ease, with businesses increasing activity and more people getting back to work, we anticipate demand for business travel on routes such as this will grow as we head into the autumn. Lufthansa’s decision to resume this route with twice-daily flights demonstrates their confidence in that too. “We are working with all of our airline partners to re-establish other important and popular routes as soon as possible, to provide the fast and convenient connectivity needed to recover from the impact of the Coronavirus.”
Lufthansa will initially operate two flights a day between London City Airport and Frankfurt, offering passengers the opportunity to connect into the airline’s wider international route network from its Frankfurt hub. When combined with its subsidiaries, Lufthansa is the second largest airline in Europe in terms of passengers carried. Safe, Careful, Speedy Journeys London City Airport temporarily suspended flights for nearly three months between 25th March and 21st June, in response to the escalating public health crisis and government lockdown measures. During that period, the airport worked behind the scenes to create a safe environment. On this, Anne Doyere added:
“Keeping passengers and our staff safe is our priority. To ensure this, we have carefully put in place measures that often exceed the official guidance, so passengers can book and travel in confidence. Speed and convenience have been a key consideration too. We still offer the fastest airport experience in London, meaning this uniquely important aspect of the customer experience at London City has not changed.”
Measures include rapid contact-free temperature checking technology, digital crowd monitoring technology, an enhanced cleaning regime using an anti-microbial surface treatment, and social distancing procedures such as one-way systems and Perspex screens. Passengers also need to wear face coverings in the airport. Similarly, Frankfurt Airport has implemented a wide range of hygiene measures to keep passengers safe, under the banner #SafeAtFRA. Passengers must wear face coverings, social distancing rules are upheld, screens have been installed, card payments are encouraged, hand sanitiser stations are available and cleaning around the airport has been increased. Ends.
Notes to Editors
Demand: a survey conducted in June of over 4,700 London City Airport passengers found demand to get back to flying quickly:
79% were either very likely or quite likely to travel when they are told it is safe to do so by the Government and airports or airlines
42% plan to travel for leisure within the next three months
41% anticipate they will take a flight for business within the next three months - contradicting claims that business travel is over
More here.
Routes currently operating:
Amsterdam (AMS)
Ibiza (IBZ)
Palma de Mallorca (PMI)
Málaga (AGP)
Florence (FLR)
Luxembourgh (LUX)
Dublin (DUB)
Edinburgh (EDI)
Glasgow (GLA)
Dundee (DND)
Teesside (MME)
Isle of Man (IOM)
From 1st August:
Nice (NCE)
Menorca-Mahon (MAH)
Faro (FAO)
Bergerac (EGC)
From 31st August:
Vilnius (VNO)
Concessions currently open are Costa Coffee, Café Nero, WHSmith and Boots. Retail, food and beverage concessions are reopening in line with passenger numbers.
Coronavirus Measures: a range of measures have been put in place at the airport to create a safe and convenient environment for passengers and staff, including:
An enhanced cleaning regime, including a long-life anti-microbial surface treatment used throughout the airport
Touch-free hand sanitiser stations
One-way systems
Perspex screens at key points of interaction, such as check-in desks
Clear signage and floor markings to help maintain social distancing and guide you through the airport
Advance crowd monitoring technology to identify and manage busy areas, using CrowdVision
Non-contact, automatic temperature checking technology for rapid preliminary screening
Staff using face masks or visors and gloves
More information is available here.
Contact:Joe RankinHead of Communications07936 342 656Joe.Rankin@londoncityairport.com