Lufthansa to start offering service between Twin Cities, Frankfurt
Lufthansa plans to start offering flights between the Twin Cities and Frankfurt next year — the first time the German airline has served Minnesota.
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport officials announced Tuesday the route will begin June 4. Lufthansa will fly the Twin Cities-Frankfurt route year-round, five days a week — Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday — using Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. Tickets go on sale Wednesday.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Lufthansa and the airline’s stellar reputation as a premium global carrier,” Brian Ryks, CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission, said in a news release. “It’s exciting to see this new service that will support the increased year-round demand for air travel from Minnesota and the upper Midwest to Europe and other international destinations.”
Flights will leave Frankfurt at 11:10 a.m. local time, arriving in the Twin Cities at 1:15 p.m. Central time. Heading the other direction, flights will leave MSP at 3:15 p.m. and arrive in Frankfurt at 6:40 a.m. the next day.
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Airport officials said the early-morning arrival time in Germany will provide good connections to other destinations in Europe, Asia and Africa. Officials at MSP said demand for flights from the Twin Cities to destinations in East Africa is the fourth-highest in the U.S., trailing only Washington, D.C., New York and Chicago.
“This service adds tremendous trans-Atlantic capacity for accelerating levels of business travel — with the benefit of increased frequency and convenience of flight options — along with more choices for Minnesotans who travel overseas for family and cultural connections,” said Rick King, Metropolitan Airports Commission chair.
Airport officials said Lufthansa will become the 18th airline operating at MSP, and the first new trans-Atlantic carrier at the airport in four years.
Last month, Aer Lingus announced it planned to resume its nonstop service between the Twin Cities and Dublin in April, after it was suspended at the start of the pandemic. Delta also announced it will begin service to Dublin next May.