Lufthansa is scrapping its shortest route, replacing the service with a bus. The route between Munich and Nuremberg is just 86 miles (138 km) as the crow flies. Lufthansa operates many domestic services across Germany, connecting major cities with its Frankfurt and Munich hubs. These services run alongside a comprehensive rail codeshare network.

Over the past few years, short flights have come under increasing fire within the European Union. Some countries, such as France, have gone as far as to ban some routes that could feasibly be operated by train. However, according to Airliners.de, the decision was prompted by the current aviation situation and not by environmental concerns.

Waving farewell to the shortest route

Lufthansa is ending its shortest route, connecting Nuremberg to Munich. According to Google Maps, the 68-mile as the crow flies route between the two airports takes one hour and 38 minutes across 167km (100 miles) by car. According to airliners.de, the route will be replaced with a bus service between the two airports. The 'Lufthansa Express Bus' will take two and a quarter hours to connect the cities according to aeroTELEGRAPH.

Airliners revealed that the route was cut, seeing as it was just driving connecting traffic before the current situation. The publication reports that roughly 3% of passengers on the route in 2018 wanted to end their journey in Munich. The remaining 97% were connecting passengers.

It seems that passengers will still be able to connect by air if they don't wish to take the Lufthansa bus. The publication reveals that the 118 miles (190km) service to Frankfurt will remain in operation. Meanwhile, group airlines Austrian and SWISS will operate seasonal services to the city.

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Not worried about the Green Party

aeroTELEGRAPH reported that the service had received strong criticism from the German Green Party over the past few years. However, Lufthansa previously revealed that it is not worried about the impact of the Green Party in Germany. In late April, the group's CEO indicated that the party was not a threat as when in power, "they very much shift their policies towards supporting the economy."

Spohr doesn't see a ban on short flights, as seen in France, an issue either. In France, lawmakers seek to ban flights that can be completed by train in less than two and a half hours, and no connecting passengers would use the route. Firstly, the canceled route was mainly connecting passengers as raised above.

Spohr commented,

"For those of you who have been following the decision of this French Government, if that same ruling would have been adapted to Germany,... only one domestic route in Germany would’ve been stopped, which is Dusseldorf – Stuttgart"

Simple Flying has contacted Lufthansa for comment on this story.

What do you make of the route's cancellation? Let us know what you think and why in the comments below!