Bristol Airport has taken another major step towards fully recovering from the impact of the pandemic with the launch this week of a regular service to Frankfurt.
German airline Lufthansa had planned to introduce the direct flights last March but shelved them as Covid-19 took hold across the world – triggering a massive fall off in air travel. 
The delayed service to the German financial capital took off this week, pictured, just days after Irish airline Aer Lingus started its flights to Dublin, opening up Ireland again to fully vaccinated British citizens and paving the way for convenient transatlantic services when unfettered travel to the US returns.
Lufthansa said its new route provided business travellers with increased opportunity to trade in one of the world’s leading financial centres and also opened the door for multiple onward connections for leisure travellers using Frankfurt as a hub.
It will operate the service up to four weekly flights this summer up to seven weekly flights starting in September.
The launch of the service, which joins existing flights to the German cities of Berlin and Cologne from Bristol, was welcomed not just by the airport but by regional tourism and business leaders.
Frankfurt, continental Europe’s foremost financial centre, was previously served from Bristol by bmi regional under a code-sharing arrangement with Lufthansa. Bmi regional, which also flew from Bristol to the German cities of Munich, Hamburg and Dusseldorf, went bust two years ago.
Bristol Airport CEO Dave Lees described it as “an incredibly exciting day for Bristol Airport and the region”.
He added: “Lufthansa is a major global airline and this decision shows confidence in air travel returning to normal.
“The regular scheduled service between Bristol and Frankfurt opens up a wide range of European and worldwide connections to our customers. 
“Frankfurt is a great city whether for business or leisure and the link between Bristol and Frankfurt allows us to promote the South West and Wales region to inbound visitors from Germany and beyond.
“We see great potential for this service and will work with Lufthansa on other exciting route opportunities in the future.“
Visit West director of tourism Kathryn Davis, pictured, added: “German visitors and those connecting through this vital European hub from other destinations.
“Germany is one of our most important visitor markets, so this connectivity is a critical part in supporting the return of the international leisure visitors when appropriate and to enable families and friends to reconnect, as well as supporting business passengers.”
The South West CBI said the service would deliver fresh opportunities for ambitious businesses across the region.
“Enhanced international connectivity can open the doors to new trading relationships for South West firms and prove a key tool for businesses looking to rebuild in the wake of the pandemic,” said director Ben Rhodes.
Lufthansa will operate the Bristol-Frankfurt route under its Cityline regional brand, which operates a 50-strong fleet, mainly made up of 160-seat Airbus A319s and Embraer 195s, Embraer 190s and Bombardier CRJ900s.
