Lufthansa To Resume Passenger Flights To India This Week

Simple Flying

By Joanna Bailey

Published Aug 10, 2020

An Airbus A350 of the German airline Lufthansa prepares to take off for Los Angeles at the "Franz-Josef-Strauss" airport in Munich, southern Germany, on June 3, 2020 as Lufthansa resumed its air traffic from Munich to the US. - An aircraft of German airline giant Lufthansa flew nonstop to Los Angeles for the first time since March 13, 2020, a day after one flew from Munich to Chicago. Lufthansa said it will undergo "far-reaching" restructuring as it posted a first-quarter net loss of 2.1 billion euros ($2.3 billion) on Wednesday, hammered by the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Christof STACHE / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP via Getty Images)

German airline Lufthansa has today announced its plans to resume inbound flight services to India. Thanks to the bilateral travel bubble that Germany has implemented with the country, Lufthansa will now allow Indians from all over the world to return to their home nation. Flights begin on August 13^th and are supported by the new COVID testing facilities in both Frankfurt and Munich.

Inbound India flights resume

German flag-carrier Lufthansa is set to resume flights to India later this week. Thanks to the relaxation of COVID measures, Indian citizens are now eligible to travel on Lufthansa flights to India from the United States, Canada and many other countries worldwide.

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The formation of a travel bubble between India and Germany has opened new markets to Indians who want to get home. As of August 13^th, inbound flights to India will recommence, marking Lufthansa’s return to one of its most important markets.

The routes being launched are:

Frankfurt to Delhi
Frankfurt to Bangalore
Frankfurt to Mumbai
Munich to Delhi

Lufthansa india — Lufthansa is flying four routes between India and Germany. Photo: GCMap

Lufthansa has been flying to India already for some months, operating all these routes but on a one-way basis. Now, with the travel corridor in place, passengers will also be able to travel inbound to India on these services.

In a statement carried by BusinessWorld, George Ettiyil, Senior Director for South Asia Sales at the Lufthansa Group said,

“We are very glad and feel privileged to be able to help people return to India and to enable business travel as the world gradually begins to open up. Our flights to and from India underline Lufthansa’s ongoing commitment to enable travel in unprecedented times for our Indian customers while upholding the highest standards of safety and hygiene.”

Short notice PCR tests available

Lufthansa has spearheaded the rapid COVID testing facilities now available at both Frankfurt and Munich. Munich airport now offers a free PCR test to all arriving passengers, something which could be invaluable to those wishing to make their way to India. Over at Frankfurt, the airline offers a COVID-19 test with results available in as little as three hours.

Lufthansa, COVID-19, Digitization — Other countries have already implemented testing on arrival. Photo: Centogene

Both facilities are approved by the German health authority and involve a simple throat swab to test for the presence of the virus. Ettiyil commented,

“Both coronavirus test centres at our hubs in Frankfurt and Munich provide customers the opportunity to avoid being quarantined when arriving in Germany, with a negative coronavirus test in their hand. Results are usually available within four to five hours after testing and are linked to the customer’s flight ticket. This also makes it easier to travel safely to other countries worldwide that accept a certified PCR coronavirus test, thereby avoiding quarantine.”

As expected, Lufthansa will be operating all flights with one eye on passenger safety, with maximum hygiene on the ground and on board too. Procedures throughout the travel chain have been refined to ensure maximum safety, and a face covering is required throughout the passenger journey.

Will you be flying Lufthansa to India? Let us know in the comments.