City Airlines, the new subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group, announced its first destinations from Munich.
The regional carrier will debut flights to Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Düsseldorf, Cologne and Hanover in Germany in addition to two British cities (Birmingham and Manchester) and Bordeaux, in France.
Debut dates for the first flights have not yet been revealed, but they will begin during the summer of 2024. Reservations will open at the end of April, the airline said.
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This year’s aircraft fleet comprises four Airbus A319s transferred by the group. Two of them are already painted in City Airlines colors, which follows the Lufthansa standard.
In the coming months there will be the announcement of more routes in Europe, possibly with flights from Frankfurt as well.
Strikes
The German group hopes to compete on better terms with budget carriers such as Ryanair and EasyJet and thus supply flights from its largest hubs in Germany.
To make the new venture viable, Lufthansa is looking for professionals in the market and also offering internal transfers, however, working conditions would be less attractive.
Amid preparations for the launch of City Airlines, the group faces strikes by ground staff and crew at Lufthansa and other subsidiaries such as Discover Airlines.
City Airlines is expected to rely on Airbus A220-300 jets from 2026 onwards, which promise a lower operating cost than the A319. Lufthansa announced a deal for 40 aircraft plus 20 purchase options in December.
