Lufthansa Considers Cutting Frankfurt-Beijing Flights

Lufthansa is reportedly reevaluating its operations to China, with plans to potentially discontinue its direct flights between Frankfurt (FRA) and Beijing (PEK). A report from Reuters highlights that increasing competition from Chinese airlines and rising operational costs are significant factors influencing this decision.

Currently, Lufthansa operates five weekly flights on the Frankfurt-Beijing route using Airbus A340-300 aircraft. This service has seen a downgrade from previous operations, which included Airbus A380s and Boeing 747-8s, due to declining demand. The decision regarding the future of this route is expected to be made in October 2024, following the analysis of September’s traffic figures. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the Frankfurt to Beijing route, Lufthansa is anticipated to maintain its daily service from Munich (MUC) to Beijing.

This potential route cancellation comes as part of a broader review of Lufthansa Group’s operations in East Asia. Other group members, such as Austrian Airlines and SWISS, have not resumed their flights to Beijing since the pandemic began. Additionally, Lufthansa’s services to Hong Kong (HKG) from Munich remain suspended.

The shift in Lufthansa’s strategy is largely driven by the need for European carriers to adopt more diverse routes to China. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, airlines have been compelled to reroute flights to avoid Russian airspace, resulting in longer travel times. In contrast, Chinese carriers have been operating shorter, more direct routes to Europe and North America, significantly reducing passenger travel times by approximately 2.5 hours.

Furthermore, Western airlines have faced a sharper decline in Chinese overseas travel since the pandemic. Many travelers opting for European destinations prefer to fly with Chinese airlines. For instance, Air China, a partner of Lufthansa, continues to operate 11 weekly flights from Beijing to Frankfurt using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

Data from Cirium indicates that as of July 2024, China’s top three international airlines—China Southern, China Eastern, and Air China—were operating 90% of their pre-pandemic schedules. In contrast, non-Chinese airlines were only operating 60% of their flights to China.

Lufthansa’s contemplation of dropping the Frankfurt-Beijing route aligns with a growing trend among European airlines to reduce services to China. Recently, Virgin Atlantic announced the cancellation of its long-standing services to both Shanghai and Hong Kong. British Airways plans to terminate all future flights to Beijing starting October 2024, while also reducing its twice-daily services to Hong Kong to just one flight operated by a Boeing 787. Additionally, Qantas has ceased flights between Sydney and Shanghai, and Royal Brunei will halt services to Beijing from October 2024.

Despite these reductions, Middle Eastern carriers are ramping up their services to China, offering new options for European travelers connecting through their hubs. Emirates has fully restored its pre-pandemic capacity to China, while Kuwait Airways is increasing its flight frequencies. Gulf Air also began flights to two Chinese cities from Bahrain in May 2024.

As Lufthansa navigates these challenges, the airline’s focus will be on reassessing its routes and competitive positioning within the evolving landscape of international travel to China.