Lufthansa Group is expanding its long-haul operations with additional flights to Asia and Africa in response to surging demand, driven by Middle East airspace closures amid the Gulf conflict. The carrier plans four extra round-trip flights from Munich to Singapore, two special flights from Frankfurt to Cape Town, and two from Frankfurt to Riyadh, all available for immediate booking.
Austrian Airlines, part of the group, has scheduled 10 special round-trip flights from Vienna to Bangkok. These additions address disruptions from closed Gulf hubs like Dubai and Doha, rerouting passengers through European gateways and boosting bookings for direct long-haul services.
Looking ahead to summer 2026, Lufthansa will extend winter routes from Munich, maintaining three weekly flights to Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Johannesburg, South Africa, using Airbus A350-900 aircraft. Edelweiss will launch twice-weekly service from Zurich to Windhoek, Namibia, starting June, while increasing frequencies to Seattle, Punta Cana, Tampa, and extending seasonal routes to Halifax, Cape Town, and Colombo.
Discover Airlines introduces daily flights to Larnaca, Cyprus, from Frankfurt and Munich with multiple daily frequencies on peak days, and year-round Frankfurt-Seychelles service plus a fifth weekly Frankfurt-Las Vegas flight. For winter 2026/27, Lufthansa launches nonstop Frankfurt-Kuala Lumpur flights five times weekly from October 25, operated by Boeing 787-9 aircraft featuring the Allegris cabin configuration.
Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr noted, “The war in the Middle East proves once again how exposed air traffic is and how vulnerable it remains, even though the industry is now more resilient to crises than it used to be.” The group anticipates revenue growth despite uncertainties tied to conflict duration.