Two German airlines will increase their presence in Greece next year. Condor and Lufthansa have both scheduled additional flights to the Greek islands to complement their Summer 2020 offering.

Lufthansa Airbus A321-200
The carrier anticipates 225,000 holidaymakers on the first weekend alone, with 1,500 flights planned. Photo: tjdarmstadt via Wikimedia Commons

Germany to Greece

In summer 2020, there will be five new services helping to connect German travelers to one of the most popular summer destinations in Europe. Both Lufthansa and Condor announced in November that they will offer flights from hubs in Germany to a number of Greek islands in order to meet demand in the coming summer.

The CEO of Condor said that the new offering in Greece was important to allow customers more flexibility over their vacation. In an airline statement, Ralf Teckentrup said:

"With the new destinations...we are expanding our route network and offering our guests even more choices for their summer holiday."

Condor will fly to three Greek destinations from three German airports. Photo: Condor

Condor is offering its customers direct flights to Santorini, Mykonos, and Samos starting from 1st May 2020. The airline will fly once a week to Mykonos from Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich airports and will fly twice a week from the same airports to the island of Santorini. It also currently operates between Stuttgart and Samos but it hopes to expand the connection to Samos between Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, and Munich as well.

Lufthansa's Greek Summer

Lufthansa will be operating its Greek flights out of Frankfurt and Munich. The airline has plans to add Rhodes and Zakynthos to its network, starting on 4th April 2020. Initially, it will fly both services once a week but as demand increases, so will the services.

Lufthansa will fly between Munich and Zakynthos every Saturday on one of its Airbus A321 on the following schedule:

  • Flight number LH1762: departing Munich on Saturdays @ 14:45, arriving in Zakynthos @ 18:00.
  • Flight number LH1763: departing Zakynthos on Saturdays @ 19:00, arriving in Munich @ 20:25.

From June 3rd the airline will use an A320 to deliver an additional weekly service on Wednesdays.

In addition, Lufthansa will fly Frankfurt to Rhodes via A320 each Saturday in the summer season.

  • Flight number LH1258: departing Frankfurt @ 13:00, arriving in Rhodes @ 17:10.
  • Flight number LH1259: departing Rhodes @ 18:10, arriving in Frankfurt @ 20:30.

Between 6 June to 15 September, the airline will also offer a Tuesday service.

Why Greece?

Greece is not a new destination for either airline. In a statement, Lufthansa said:

"In summer 2020, Lufthansa will thus be offering all sun-hungry passengers up to 14 weekly connections to five Greek islands in addition to flights to Athens and Thessaloniki. More than ever before."

Both airlines already have a substantial Greek offering, so why are they continuing to invest in Greece? Well, both airlines are guaranteeing themselves a busy summer. The Greek islands have consistently been top vacation destinations and these German airlines are profiting from them.

Since the airlines already operate in parts of Greece, its a relatively easy market to expand in. Condor has even altered its network to other destinations like Italy and Turkey in order to facilitate a busy Greek summer.

But the airlines aren't just expanding in Greece. Both have plans to develop in other European destinations for the summer. Lufthansa recently listed four new destinations it will fly to for Summer 2020; Rennes, Bristol, Minsk, and Jerez de la Frontera.

Condor has also announced plans to expand in Tivat in Montenegro, Paphos, Toulon in France. But it will also offer passengers a selection of additional flights in the Canary Islands that it currently flies to. It appears both airlines are setting themselves up for a profitable summer which will not only keep them but also their guests happy.

Will you be making plans to visit Greece with Condor or Lufthansa? Let us know in the comments!