After more than two years of not operating, Lufthansa’s Debrecen-Munich flight was relaunched, with its first inbound and outbound flight and passengers being greeted by the press at Debrecen International Airport.
Munich Airport is the second-largest so-called “hub” in Germany after Frankfurt, where Lufthansa is the most important airline to launch its first Munich flight from Debrecen on 11 April 2016. The flight initially operated three times a week between the two cities, and from the summer of 2018, the number of flights increased to five a week.
At the press conference, Dr. Ádám Kovács, Head of Cabinet, said the following about the resumption of the flight: “Debrecen International Airport plays an important role in fulfilling the city’s economic and tourism objectives. It was a joyous event that in 2016, a global company like Lufthansa had an interest in the city. The launch of the Munich flight has significantly increased the city’s ability to attract international capital. Thanks to the Munich flight and since its launch in 2016, several German companies have settled in Debrecen. Since then, more than 1,000 new jobs have been created at these companies, which is a unique achievement. I am confident that by relaunching the flight, the companies that Lufthansa has previously invested in here will be able to support the incoming companies by increasing the number of flights. In our opinion, the expansion of further flights is guaranteed by the medium- and long-term infrastructural development of the airport, in which the Government of Hungary now participates not only as a supporter but also as the majority owner of the airport.”
At the press conference, Gábor Antal, Director of Passenger Traffic at the Deutsche Lufthansa Group, said that restrictions on air travel had largely been lifted and that recent weeks had clearly shown that people had a great desire to travel. The number of new bookings is growing week by week, for both business and leisure travelers. He also informed the press that Lufthansa had doubled its revenue from the previous half-year and that the number of passengers had more than quadrupled in the first quarter from the same period last year. The increase in demand generated by air travel has also led to a significant increase in capacity, so Lufthansa plans to operate about 75% of its pre-crisis capacity in the second quarter of 2022.
This increased demand can be felt in Hungary as well, so the number of their flights is gradually increasing, and they also fly in three cities, Budapest, Debrecen, and Sármellék.
On 11 April 2016, they were also excited and curious about waiting for the first flight to arrive at the same place, opening a regular air service between one of Europe’s largest airports and the city of Civic and, thus, the region. He explained that the flight opened up the world to Debrecen and the region, as it made overseas destinations accessible to both business and leisure travelers.
He added that, currently, the best promotional ticket can be purchased to and from Munich for HUF 37,500 until June 15, which can be used to travel until October 28, 2022. But even after, you will still be able to get it for only 45,500 forints.
Their flight LH1686 departs from Munich at 9 a.m. on Mondays and arrives in Debrecen at 10.30 am after a 30-minute flight, then flight LH1687 departs from Debrecen at 11.10 am and arrives in Munich at 12.35 pm. On Wednesday, Friday and Sunday it departs from Munich at 14.50 and lands in Debrecen at 16.20, then departs at 16.55 and lands again in Debrecen at 18.55.
In his opinion, pre-bookings are encouraging, but it is interesting to see that while in 2016 about 60% of our passengers were corporate and 40% were individual travelers, this proportion is now reversed as tickets are mostly booked by individual travelers. However, official travel is also expected to pick up, as a large number of foreign companies in the region and the investments that can be made in them justify this.
He also stressed that Lufthansa is committed to connecting people, countries, and economies. They are aware of their responsibility and commitment to a region like Debrecen.
János Vajda, the managing director of the company operating Debrecen International Airport, said that due to the large foreign companies settling in the region, mainly German, the constantly growing number of passengers, and the intensive airport development program starting in 2019, further flight expansions were planned. However, the pandemic has transformed aviation very strongly, with a significant negative impact not only on airports but also on airlines. On March 6, 2020, Lufthansa decided to temporarily suspend the flight.
After a break of more than two years, Lufthansa’s Munich flight from Debrecen will resume on May 29, 2022, with four flights a week, the usual CRJ-900, with which those wishing to travel can reach many parts of the world, including America, with a single transfer. He then stated that in January 2019, the Local Government of the City of Debrecen acquired a majority stake in the airport operator. It has clearly set itself the goal of operating the air connection between Munich and Debrecen at the highest possible level and with the safest possible service. Even during the pandemic, Lufthansa was present in Debrecen with the maintenance of three aircraft.
He then explained that it was a very important goal of the airport operators to receive and service aircraft at the highest possible level during the Covid period, and this is probably due to the fact that WizzAir has the best Debrecen International Airport in terms of service.
And he remains confident that Lufthansa can be served with similar flexibility, security, and speed.
Debrecen Internatioan Airport
