By Jens Ritter, Member of the Executive Board and CEO of Lufthansa Airlines Photo: Courtesy of Lufthansa
“Business travel between China and Germany is picking up, and I strongly believe that German corporates are dedicated and committed to the Chinese economy,” said Jens Ritter, CEO of Lufthansa Airlines, in Shanghai on Friday.
On Thursday, a Lufthansa Boeing 747-400 landed smoothly at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, marking the 30th anniversary of the launch of the Shanghai-Frankfurt route.
Ritter arrived in Shanghai on Thursday, just after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrapped up his three-day visit to China. 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the all-round strategic partnership between China and Germany.
A Lufthansa Boeing 747-400, with flight number LH732, lands smoothly on the runway of Shanghai Pudong International Airport and glides through the water gate on April 18, marking the 30th anniversary of the launch of the Shanghai-Frankfurt route. Photo: Courtesy of Lufthansa
Observers and business representatives said Scholz’s trip is a positive sign, showing that Germany is eager to build on and expand pragmatic cooperation with China.
Ritter told the Global Times that his view about German companies in China was shared by many other German CEOs he met in Shanghai, and they are also eager to invest more in the Chinese market.
“We see that corporate travel is also picking up, especially to China,” he said.
German companies are committed to the Chinese market and therefore Lufthansa wants to increase its flights to China, he added.
Since the end of the pandemic and the lifting of the central quarantine for inbound travelers on January 8, 2023, Lufthansa has been gradually resuming its flights to China.
As demand for travel is increasing, the German airline has added one more flight between Shanghai and Frankfurt since the beginning of this month.
The firm now operates twice-daily Shanghai-Frankfurt flights and a daily Shanghai-Munich flight, with total capacity that is back to the pre-pandemic level, Ritter said.
Ritter also said that the airline’s flights to China are now back to 70 percent of the level before the epidemic, and the company is looking for slots in more cities in China, as well as greater flight frequency.
China is opening its door wider and wider to welcome foreign visitors. The country extended its visa-free policy to six more countries, including Switzerland and Ireland, starting on March 14.
Ritter welcomed this policy, adding that visa-free travel can really help international flights to recover.
Data from industry information provider VariFlight sent to the Global Times showed that the number of flights between China and Europe from March 17 to April 18 was 5,007, equivalent to 78 percent of that in the same period of 2019.
