Lufthansa is resuming flights to Tripoli on 2 February. The Libyan capital will be served thrice weekly – on Mondays, Thursday and Sundays – from Frankfurt.

Flight LH1312, operated by an Airbus A319, will depart from Frankfurt in the morning hours on those days, landing in Tripoli three hours later. The return flight as LH 1313 will depart from Tripoli in the afternoon. Last year Lufthansa temporarily suspended flights to and from Libya because of the political unrest in the country.

Flights to and from Tripoli can be booked online at www.lufthansa.com or via the Lufthansa Call Center in Germany on 01805 805 805 (calls made within the German landline network cost €0.14/min; calls from mobile networks will be charged a maximum of €0.42/min.). Customers can also book their flights through Lufthansa-designated travel agencies or at Lufthansa sales counters at airports.

The reinstated service at a glance:

Frankfurt – Tripoli (Libya)

Airports/Three-letter code/Time zone
Frankfurt, Terminal 1 (FRA); UTC + 1 hour
Tripoli (TIP); UTC + 2 hours

Flight schedule
Flights operate on Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays

Flight duration (on average):
Frankfurt – Tripoli: 2 hours 55 minutes
Tripoli – Frankfurt: 3 hours 15 minutes

Distance: 1,976km (1,227 miles)

Aircraft type: A319

Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Communications Lufthansa German Airlines, 01.02.12

Highest-ever punctuality rates and significantly reduced CO2 emissions since the opening of the new Northwest Runway

Three months after the new runway at Frankfurt Airport became operational, Lufthansa has drawn up an interim assessment. Since 21 October 2011, the on-time arrival performance rating has risen by more than 14 cent compared with the same period in the previous year, and remains constant at well above 80 per cent. For the first time for many years, Frankfurt is thus on a par with comparable international hubs such as Amsterdam, London Heathrow and Munich with which the airport is in direct competition. However, the strict ban on night flights after 11pm, which was imposed at Frankfurt just as the new runway went into operation, is proving extremely problematic – not only for freighter flights but also as regards the smooth running of passenger services. As a result, 19 flights have had to be transferred to the following day despite the fact that, in many cases, the aircraft would only been airborne for a matter of minutes after 11pm. Many passengers in transit who do not have a visa for Germany have been forced to sleep at the airport on camp beds or on bench seats.

“The additional capacity we have gained as a result of the new Northwest Runway is immensely important for reliable flight operations at our home base, Frankfurt. It is essential if we are to maintain our position among the world’s leading international hubs,” explains Kay Kratky, member of the Lufthansa German Airlines Board, Frankfurt & Flight Operations. “But we are also aware that the new runway has led to a redistribution of noise. As a result, some of the residents living within the noise footprint of aircraft using the Northwest Runway are now affected. At the same time, other neighbouring communities have benefited and now experience less noise, thanks to the new approach and departure routes. With our partners – the airport operator Fraport and German Air Traffic Control (DFS) – we are working intensively on measures to reduce aircraft noise for all those affected as soon as possible.”

The new runway has removed the previous bottlenecks at Frankfurt Airport, and flight operations have become more stable following the increase in capacity. For many passengers in transit, reliable quality is a decisive factor in their choice of airport. In the last three months, thanks to more stable operations, the percentage of passengers missing their connecting flight has fallen by 25 per cent compared with the previous months.

Fewer holding patterns above Frankfurt Airport – Environmental benefits of reducing CO2 emissions and fuel consumption

The environment is also benefiting from the increase in capacity at the airport. Before the new runway went into operation, holding stacks over Frankfurt and the surrounding area were a daily occurrence. Many aircraft often had to circle unnecessarily over the Rhine-Main area before they were granted landing permission. That not only caused delays but also raised CO2 emissions and fuel consumption. Thanks to the additional capacity for arrivals and departures, airborne waiting times during the approach to Frankfurt have been reduced by two and a half hours per day at Lufthansa alone. Over the past three months, this has led to savings of about five and a half tonnes of jet fuel and 17.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per day.

Lufthansa, 30.01.12

Airlines carry over 106 million passengers in total / Passenger Airline Group still plans low-level growth of 3 per cent in 2012 due to weak economic environment

The airlines that make up the Lufthansa Group carried a record number of passengers in 2011. A total of 106.3 million passengers chose to fly with Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, bmi and Germanwings. This is equivalent to growth of 7.5 per cent compared with the previous year. The Group increased its capacity by 9.8 per cent overall in 2011, while its revenue seat kilometres rose by 7.0 per cent. The average passenger load factor for the aircraft correspondingly fell by two percentage points to 77.2 per cent.

The trend of decreasing sales that emerged in autumn continued in the remaining months of the year - Group-wide, it proved not possible to match the level of sales growth recorded at the beginning of the year. In the light of this development and ongoing economic uncertainty, the Passenger Airline Group plans to achieve low-level growth of 3 per cent in its available seat kilometres in the full year 2012. This will be realised by using larger aircraft and introducing the new Europa cabin on Lufthansa Passenger Airlines' European routes. A total of 65.5 million passengers flew with Lufthansa-brand planes in 2011 - 11.1 per cent more than in the previous year. Lufthansa expanded its capacity by 11.8 per cent in the full year, while sales were up 8.8 per cent. The load factor was 2.2 percentage points down year on year, at 77.2 per cent. In 2011, SWISS carried approximately 16.4 million passengers, at Austrian Airlines passenger numbers came to 11.3 million, around 5.7 million passengers chose to fly with bmi, and Germanwings had approximately 7.5 million passengers.

Lufthansa Cargo recorded growth of 5 per cent in its tonne-kilometres transported in 2011 and carried a total of 1.9 million tonnes of freight and mail. Capacity grew by 8.6 per cent in the full year, while sales were up 6.5 per cent. This prompted the load factor to drop by 1.4 percentage points to 69.5 per cent.

The Lufthansa Group's financial results for the full year 2011 will be published on 15 March 2012 and will be available for download at www.lufthansa.com/investor-relations from 8.00 a.m.

Lufthansa 11.01.12

1,187 flights with biofuel / First scheduled transatlantic flight to the United States with biosynthetic fuel planned for 12 January 2012

After a six-month practical trial involving biosynthetic fuel, Lufthansa is pleased to announce the first positive results. In all, 1,187 biofuel flights were operated between Hamburg and Frankfurt. According to initial calculations, CO2 emissions were reduced by 1,471 tonnes. Total consumption of the biokerosene mix amounted to 1,556 tonnes.

“Our burnFAIR project went off smoothly and to our fullest satisfaction. As expected, biofuel proved its worth in daily flight operations,” confirmed Joachim Buse, Vice President Aviation Biofuel at Lufthansa.

The highlight of the biofuel trial at Lufthansa will be the first scheduled transatlantic flight to the United States, which is now planned for 12 January 2012. A Boeing 747-400, carrying about 40 tonnes of a biosynthetic fuel mix, will fly from Frankfurt to Washington. With this flight alone, Lufthansa expects to reduce CO2 emissions by 38 tonnes, equivalent to the CO2 emissions of six scheduled flights between Frankfurt and Berlin.

The aviation industry has undertaken a great deal in terms of climate protection and has set itself ambitious targets. In line with IATA’s industry-wide goal, airlines must reduce their net CO2 emissions by 50 per cent by the year 2050 compared to 2005. “If we want to protect our climate and thus our future in a sustainable manner, we need innovative ideas and technologies and an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels – particularly in view of the growing demand for mobility worldwide,” said Christoph Franz, Chairman of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG.

Biosynthetic kerosene is just as reliable as conventional jet fuel but the environmental effects are more positive. Thanks to the higher energy density of biofuel, it has been possible to reduce the fuel consumption by more than one per cent. Furthermore, biosynthetic kerosene is free of sulphur and aromatic compounds.

The principle behind biofuel is simple and is based on the carbon cycle. Plants withdraw CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. When aircraft engines burn biofuel, this CO2 is released back into the atmosphere. Biofuel emits about 50 per cent less CO2 than conventional fossil fuels.

“As a next step, we will focus on the suitability, availability, sustainability and certification of raw materials. But first we must tap into this market. However, Lufthansa will only continue the practical trial if we are able to secure the volume of sustainable, certified raw materials required in order to maintain routine operations,” project manager Joachim Buse stressed.

From 15 July to 27 December 2011 a Lufthansa Airbus A321 was used to operate scheduled flights on the Hamburg-Frankfurt route. One of the aircraft’s engines was powered by a 50-50 blend of regular fuel and biosynthetic kerosene. The aim of this long-term trial was to gain experience in the use of biofuel and collect long-term data. At the same time, the test flight enables the effects of biofuels on the environment and on the maintenance and life time of the engines to be examined.

More information about the project is available at: www.puresky.de

Lufthansa 09.01.12

Deutsche Lufthansa AG (Lufthansa) and International Airlines Group (IAG) have today signed a binding purchase agreement for the sale of British Midland Ltd. (bmi) to IAG.

The gross purchase price is 172.5 m GBP (approx. 207 m EUR) in cash. After agreed price reductions the net purchase price is expected to be significantly negative. With the transaction Lufthansa is disassociating from a sustainably loss-making subsidiary. As part of the agreement, a British holding company of Lufthansa will take on bmi’s defined pension benefit scheme. The closing of the transaction is planned for the first quarter of 2012 and remains in particular subject to approval by the antitrust authorities.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG 22.12.11