Lufthansa announced on Thursday that it would be adding two new destinations in the Canary Islands to its schedule in the autumn. The airline will be offering tourist flights to Tenerife and Gran Canaria just in time for the German autumn holidays.

Lufthansa connects Frankfurt with the Canaries

In a press release issued on July 23, the German flag carrier revealed that it would begin operating twice-weekly flights from Frankfurt (FRA) to Tenerife South (TFS) and Gran Canaria (LPA) from October. The services will be conducted on Saturdays and Sundays to both islands with an Airbus A320 family aircraft.

Summer flight schedule October 3 - 24 2020, local times:

  • LH 1502 FRA 09:30 - 13:10 LPA
  • LH 1503 LPA 14:10 - 19:40 FRA
  • LH 1500 FRA 09:30 - 13:30 TFS
  • LH 1501 TFS 14:30 - 20:05 FRA

Winter flight schedule October 25, 2020 - March 27, 2021, local times:

  • LH 1502 FRA 09:30 - 13:10 LPA
  • LH 1503 LPA 14:10 - 19:50 FRA
  • LH 1500 FRA 09:15 - 13:15 TFS
  • LH 1501 TFS 14:15 - 20:00 FRA

The airline says that tickets are available for booking now, with prices starting from €129 ($150) for a round trip and €79 ($92) one way.

Lufthansa A320neo
Several other airports and airlines have been caught off-guard by the sudden spike in travel demand. Photo: Getty Images

The Canary Islands offer the perfect winter escape

The Canaries are 62 miles west of Morocco (at the nearest point). Therefore, they have a subtropical climate offering ideal climatic conditions in the winter. The temperatures stay pleasantly warm, and plenty of sunshine is almost guaranteed. So, they are the perfect getaway for those seeking to escape the dark and dreary winters of northern Europe.

The islands are one of the few short-haul winter sun destinations available to Europeans. Gran Canaria and Tenerife are the most popular, with mountainous interiors, quaint villages, and stunning beaches for sun worshippers.

At 3,718m (12,198 feet), Mount Teide on Tenerife is Spain's highest mountain. Gran Canaria is renowned for the Maspalomas Dunes, which cover 1,000 acres. The nearby Faro Maspalomas is the lighthouse from where Christopher Columbus set sail on his voyage to explore America.

Lufthansa, Bailout, Rejection worries
While celebrations are cut back, the flag carrier of Germany is still providing a unique experience. Photo: Getty Images

Lufthansa expands its operations

Altogether, as international borders are opening and demand increases, Lufthansa is expanding its operations and changing its focus from short-term to long-term planning. At the end of June, the group said that it would have 380 aircraft flying by the end of October, representing almost half of its entire fleet.

The airline is also looking at making domestic journeys easier for its customers. Last week, the airline announced that it was increasing its train to flight offering to 17 destinations within Germany. The scheme simplifies travel for passengers who don't live at Lufthansa's Frankfurt hub by allowing them to use their boarding pass to travel to and from the airport by train.

The group is also preparing to launch a new leisure branch called Ocean. The planned venture is aimed at the long-haul tourist destination market. It would simplify the company's operations within that sector, which it currently describes as fragmented.

Do you think Lufthansa's expansion is a step in the right direction? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.