Lufthansa German Airlines has begun wide body flight operations directly from Frankfurt to Accra.
The schedule, on its new Airbus 330-300 started March 30, and would be operated four times weekly.
Making the announcement at a press conference in Accra on Monday, Mr. Kevin Markette, Lufthansa Manager Ghana, said the new 221 seat aircraft would give over 100% more capacity both passenger and cargo areas, providing about 15 tonnes of cargo space.
He said the introduction of the direct A330 service on the Accra route was an indication of the airlines commitment to Ghana, which is its second biggest market in West Africa after Nigeria.
The aircraft would also offer Lufthansa passengers more comfort on their flights as it is equipped with the three newly upgraded Lufthansa cabins: First Class, Business Class and Economy class.
“We are bringing our newest products here and not outdated ones as in some cases is done by some airlines” he stated, adding that the fact that Lufthansa had the first slot for arrival at the KIA in the evenings was a good thing for passengers as they do not have to spend long waiting hours at the airport on arrival or departure, Mr. Markette added.
Mr. Markette also announced that the airline had begun introducing local Ghanaian dishes on board menu in all class on flights from Accra, starting with Jollof rice with grilled chicken and ‘kelewele’.
Lufthansa began flights to Ghana in 1967 with a Boeing 707, changing to a B747-400 which was operated via Lagos, an Airbus A340-600, operated via Libreville, Gabon, a Boeing Business Jet and now the A330-300.
Mr. Carsten Schaeffer, Lufthansa Vice President Sales and Services Southeast Europe, Middle East and Africa, who arrived on the maiden A330 flight last night said the airline was working hard to gain a five-star rating for the airline in all classes, after its first class was rated five-star by Skytrax.
Thus it was investing in upgrading both its hardware and software including: acquisition of new aircraft, upgrade of all classes on its aircrafts plus introduction of a new Premium Economy class to cater for corporate and leisure travelers, improvements in its lounges across its network and especially at its hubs to make transitions as smooth as possible and also investing in infrastructural developments at its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich, he said.
GNA
