Lufthansa invests in Belfast to Frankfurt route from Belfast City Airport

The huge global transport hub located almost in the centre of Germany will provide onward connectivity to many main business destinations according to Dr Frank Wagner, Lufthansa’s general manager.

Its launch this week means it is the only direct flight between Northern Ireland and Germany and will operate four days a week.

Dr Wagner said: “Frankfurt is the main hub of the Lufthansa group from where we provide connectivity to about 200 destinations, both in Europe as well as further afield to Africa, Asia and South America.

"It is one of the top 10 airports in Europe, comparable in size to Heathrow.

"So really what we’re doing here is to provide connectivity for the Northern Irish clientele, people from Belfast and the wider region.

"It will also allow tourists from all over the world to come to Belfast.”

He added: “Frankfurt is known to be the business centre of Germany, but in the wider region there are a lot of tourist attractions.

"We also have a co-operation with Deutsche Bahn (German railway) so you’re within reach of other tourist locations in Germany.”

He added: “We are already seeing it in the booking development now all over Europe, but also further afield.

“We provide connectivity via Frankfurt but obviously it will also boost bi-lateral trade between Northern Ireland and Germany.”

The new route means the Belfast City Airport has seven main airline partners and a route network of almost 30 destinations.

Commercial director at the airport, Katy Best, said that welcoming Lufthansa to Belfast was a “gamechanger for the people of Northern Ireland in terms of global connectivity” post-Covid.

She said: “There's a huge amount of interest from German and Belfast businesses in this route.

“Germany is the third largest market for the island of Ireland and Tourism Ireland have put a huge amount of work into promoting Belfast and this route.”

Despite the collapse of Flybe in January, Northern Ireland is experiencing a boom in connectivity.

Ryanair have announced four new routes from Belfast International Airport to Budapest, Cardiff, Mallorca and Valencia which will begin this summer.

And just today the airline revealed twice weekly direct flights to Palma will start imminently.

The following summer Fly Atlantic plans to launch a new transatlantic airline at Belfast International Airport.

The airline proposes to fly to the US and Canada as well as British and European destinations.

Aer Lingus has also spread its wings at Belfast City Airport, announcing a new commercial route to Jersey which will begin next month.

It’s understood the seasonal route will offer 6,000 seats on twice-weekly direct flights through the summer.

Meanwhile, flights between City of Derry Airport and London will also continue, with financial support being extended by the UK government.