Lufthansa has prepared more than 220,000 seats for its winter schedule, resuming non-stop flights from Munich to Bangkok using Airbus A380s to cater to a robust growth in visitors from Europe.
Anlee Do, general manager for Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines & the Mekong region at Lufthansa Group, said the growing number of seats from November 2024 through March 2025 is mainly attributed to the expansion of Austrian Airlines, one of Lufthansa's subsidiaries in Europe, which has increased the capacity of the Vienna-Bangkok route by 86% when compared with the summer schedule.
The capacity of Lufthansa's direct flights from Munich to Bangkok has also been expanded by switching from using Airbus A350s during the summer to Airbus A380s, which provide over 500 seats per trip.
Ms Do said Lufthansa Group has become the largest European airline group in terms of operating the most direct flights from Europe to Thailand, with its four carriers -- Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines and Edelweiss Air -- providing 31 flights per week during its winter schedule.
In Southeast Asia, the group also serves direct connections between destinations in Europe and Singapore, with about 21 flights per week.
Ms Do said the group's operations in Thailand have already secured a better performance than during the pandemic, both in terms of seat capacity and passengers.
The group recorded around 328,000 passengers travelling from Thailand, as the country is well established as a regional hub for travellers from the Philippines, Vietnam, and other countries in the Mekong region.
As well as serving Bangkok, Edelweiss Air also operates a direct flight to Phuket from Zurich, while Swiss International Air Lines operates a direct flight from Zurich to Bangkok.
Regarding the aircraft shortage, Brendan Shashoua, head of sales Southeast Asia and Pacific at Lufthansa Group, said the group also experienced the same obstacles as other airlines globally. The airline allotted €2.5 billion for fleet renewal, he said.
However, with the delays in aircraft manufacturing, the group is now receiving one aircraft per month, which is less than the ideal target initially set at one aircraft per week or around 50 aircraft per year.
Lufthansa is celebrating its 65th anniversary of connecting Thailand with Europe, as its inaugural flight landed at Bangkok on Nov 3, 1959.