Amid the ongoing travel restrictions, Lufthansa will now only serve 18 long-haul flights a week. The flag carrier of Germany will operate this limited schedule through May 3rd.

Lufthansa new livery
Could Alitalia partner with Lufthansa and/or become a Star Alliance member? Photo: Getty Images

Back to basics

According to a press release, its restricted flight schedule was supposed to only last until April 19th. However, as challenges remain in place, it has extended its program until the first week of May. Moreover, all of the operator's services within its original flight schedule between April 25th and May 3rd will be canceled.

Therefore, Lufthansa will only offer a basic long-distance timetable for those that urgently need to fly. These Frankfurt-based flights will depart three times a week and are divided by the following destinations:

  • New York
  • Chicago
  • São Paulo
  • Montreal
  • Bangkok
  • Tokyo

The airline was conducting flights to Johannesburg but these had to be suspended by April 16th due to new regulations now in place. Despite the highly reduced capacity, the firm still conducts around 50 daily connections from its focus cities of Frankfurt and Munich. Therefore, passengers that need to connect across Germany and Europe can still do so via the carrier.

Lufthansa, Eurowings, Calgary, Frankfurt
Airlines may be able to fly you home via a partner. Photo: Getty Images

Special services

Additionally, Lufthansa Group subsidiary SWISS will also offer three weekly services to Newark from its hubs of Zurich and Geneva. Along with this, The group's other brands have been aiding in special missions to return travelers home during the downtime. Lufthansa shared the following:

"In addition to the regularly scheduled services, the airlines in the Lufthansa Group (Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, SWISS, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings and Edelweiss) have been operating more than 300 special flights since March 13, taking some 60,000 holidaymakers back to their home countries of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium," Lufthansa said, as per the release.

Furthermore, around 45 extra flights are already being prepared by the company. Clients for these services have been governments, cruise lines, and tour operators.

Along with these unique services, the airline has also performed 22 special cargo flights on top of its scheduled shipping operations. Aircraft on these trips have been filled with crucial supplies brought in from countries such as China.

Aer Lingus, Airbus A330, Bird Strike
Many airlines have been turning some of their aircraft into makeshift cargo aircraft. Photo: Getty Images

Keeping informed

Those affected by cancellations will be contacted by Lufthansa. Additionally, impacted passengers can keep their booking and do not have to immediately commit to a new flight date. The ticket and ticket value will stay the same and can be converted for new a booking with a departure date up until April 30th, 2021.

Altogether, Lufthansa is doing the best it can with its schedule while it is bounded by global travel restrictions. It is also recognizing its duty as a global institution by assisting those in trouble during this troubled period.

Simple Flying reached out to Lufthansa for comment on its flight plans but did not hear back before publication. We will update the article with any further announcements.

What are your thoughts on Lufthansa only operating 18 long-haul flights a week? How have you been impacted by these operational shakedowns? Let us know what you think of the situation in the comment section.