Lufthansa Cancels All Service to Karachi

Society Travel & Tourism
1

Effective immediately, all Lufthansa flights to Karachi have been canceled. Flights to Lahore have been rerouted; the new flights will go from Frankfurt to Lahore to Muscat and then back to Frankfurt. And so, after just five months, Karachi goes back to being the only major city in Asia without a single European/Western carrier flying into its airport…

Lufthansa stops flights to Karachi

         Sunday, March 30, 2008
         By our correspondent

KARACHI: German airline Lufthansa on Saturday, announced that it was taking out Karachi from its network, just five months after flights were resumed to Frankfurt.

“All Lufthansa flights from Frankfurt to Karachi are canceled due to lack of capacity,” the airline said in a communique. “Lufthansa will endeavour to get Karachi on the Lufthansa route map again, as soon as possible.”

The airline has also changed its schedule of Lahore-Frankfurt flights, which will now fly via Muscat after a technical stop for disembarking crew.

“Due to the current situation in Lahore and operational requirements of the airline, Lufthansa has to change the layover of its crew, and therefore, has to reroute its thrice-a-week flights from Frankfurt to Karachi and onto Lahore,” it said, adding that re-routing of Lufthansa’s Pakistan flights is a precautionary measure.

The days of operation, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, as well as the aircraft operated, the A300-600, remain the same.

As per the new flight schedule for the Frankfurt-Lahore sector, LH658, the flight leaves Frankfurt at 10:25 and arrives at 20:40 in Lahore. The LH659 flight leaves Lahore at 21:40 and arrives at 23:30 in Muscat for a technical stop, with no possibility to disembark. The flight leaves Muscat at 01:15(+1) and arrives at 06:36 in Frankfurt. The new schedule will be implemented from March 30 until May 29.

Lufthansa passengers of Karachi flights are currently rebooked on alternative routes through Dubai and onto Karachi. “Lufthansa tries to minimize inconveniences for its passengers as far as possible. Latest updates will be communicated immediately by the airline to all concerned.”

The German carrier had resumed flights to Pakistan last October, after a gap of almost nine years, saying the comeback decision was based on an overwhelming potential for passenger growth. It had rolled back its operations in 1998.

2

Re: Lufthansa Cancels All Service to Karachi

Told you so :)

3

Re: Lufthansa Cancels All Service to Karachi

I know...good thing I didn't book anything yet :)

I'm pretty surprised though...I always figured Karachi was a more "important" destination than Lahore...

4

Re: Lufthansa Cancels All Service to Karachi

Bad for Pakistan's image.

Is it really that bad these days?

5

Re: Lufthansa Cancels All Service to Karachi

They didnt cancel because of any terrorism mumbo jumbo. This was in the pipeline since the day they announced their return. CAA is setup such that a returning airline must start operations at the airport it abandoned.

They did their KHI return for a bit and cancelled. KHI is very competitive as it is and Lufthansa cant do much to properly compete with Arab carriers.

6

Re: Lufthansa Cancels All Service to Karachi

But what is the stop in Muscat for then?

7

Re: Lufthansa Cancels All Service to Karachi

As I have never flown into Karachi airport or Lahore one for that matter, can someone tell me which airlines go on each of these airports?

~**~ Tussi Baray ----- Ho ~~~~ ~**~
8

Re: Lufthansa Cancels All Service to Karachi

Another reason.....they just started new service from Hyderabad..

9

Re: Lufthansa Cancels All Service to Karachi

It has everything to do with poor security situation in Pakistan. If Lufthansa operates non-stop flights to the country, the replacement crew would have to stay and it appears that they are unwilling. By making a technical stop in Muscat, the crew will be stationed there and not in Pakistan.

Contributions on Wikipedia
10

Re: Lufthansa Cancels All Service to Karachi

I guess what I find most unfortunate about all this is that apparently Lufthansa can safely and profitably operate flights to third world backwaters like Khartoum, Addis Ababa, and Asmara...and notoriously dangerous cities like Lagos (and they aren't the only European carrier flying to these places)...but had to pull back out of Karachi after just 5 months. Is Pakistan really more pathetic than Eritrea?

11

Re: Lufthansa Cancels All Service to Karachi

Karachi pull out was going to happen even if safety was no concern. It had everyting to do with Karachi being overserved - not being dangerous.

12

Re: Lufthansa Cancels All Service to Karachi

^^ even considering that, stopover at muscat doesnt add up if its not security issue. unless they have received a threat from terrorists directly because I dont think there is very much security issue with crew staying mostly 5 stars in Lahore and Karachi.

13

Re: Lufthansa Cancels All Service to Karachi

According to Karachi Airport Website, these are the airlines that come to Karachi.

So my question is, who needs Luftansa?

  • Aero Asia : Tel : 45791190
  • ** Aeroflot: Tel : 519192 , 512838**
  • ** African Airlines: Tel: 4554245+Fax**
  • ** Air China: Tel : 4542559 - Fax: 4547071**
  • ** Air France: Tel : 5681071-5, Fax: 5684815**
  • ** Air Lanka: Tel : 5680382 , 5678286-Fax: 5675863**
  • ** Biman Bangladesh Airlines: Tel : 5662008-Fax: 5662008**
  • ** PIAC: Tel : 45794769 , 4578700**
  • ** Bhoja Air: Tel : 45791037-41 , 4574494 **
  • ** British Airways: Tel : 051-564702 , 565413-Fax: 051-563672**
  • ** Egypt Air: Tel: 5689605 , 5661125 , 5678066-Fax: 5688790**
  • ** cathay Pacific: Tel: 5660391 **
  • ** Emirates Airllines: Tel: 5684500-Fax 5684860**
  • ** Ethiopian Airlines: Tel: 5661713 , 5687301-Fax 5661715**
  • ** Qatar Airways: Tel:5687804-Fax: 5683508**
  • ** Gulf Air: Tel: 5682265 , 5678270-Fax: 5685643**
  • ** Iran Air: Tel: 516293 , 5678274-Fax: 5684055**
  • ** Indian Airlines:Tel: 5682035 , 5682034-Fax: 5692188**
  • ** Royal Jordanian Airlines: Tel: 5660440-Fax: 5682026**
  • ** Kenya Airways: Tel: 5683272-Fax: 5680478**
  • ** Kuwait Airways: Tel: 5683272-Fax: 5680478**
  • ** Lufthansa German Airlines: Tel: 4571081/4571096/4571283 -Fax: 4570975**
  • ** Malaysian Airlines: Tel: 5682629-Fax: 5682195**
  • ** Oman Airways: Tel: 5689700 , 5689642-Fax: 565092**
  • ** Safe Air: Tel: 45791285 , 5879057**
  • ** Saudi Arabian Airlines: Tel: 568213 , 5682525-Fax: 5688872**
  • ** Shaheen Air: Tel: 4591185-1252 , 111-808080**
  • ** Swiss Air: Tel: 5682307 , 5675344-Fax: 5681510 **
  • ** Syrian Arabian Airlines: Tel: 5682827 , 5684037-Fax: 5685829**
  • ** Thai Airways International: Tel: 5660156/58/59-Fax: 5660684**
  • ** Turkish Airlines: Tel: 5670069-Fax: 5681513**
  • ** Turkmenistan Airlines: Tel: 513468 , 513941-Fax: 5678862**
  • ** Uzbekistan Airways: Tel: 5872493-Fax: 5871101**
  • ** Xin Jiang Airlines of china: Tel: 051-273446 , 273447 Fax: 051-273448**
  • ** Yemen Airways: Tel: 514776-Fax: 5684234** ]* Singapore Airlines: Tel: 5686198 , 5683695-Fax: 5683695 **
14

Re: Lufthansa Cancels All Service to Karachi

First of all, that's a list of airlines with offices in Karachi, not airlines serving the city...BA may still have a booking office in Karachi, but they haven't flown there in nearly 20 years.

And it's a very old list at that...many of those airlines don't even exist anymore.

15

Re: Lufthansa Cancels All Service to Karachi

So which ones actually fly into Karachi?

16

Re: Lufthansa Cancels All Service to Karachi

It was a strategy to get the allowance from Pakistan to land their own Aircraft. And that strategy worked after they banned PIA through out Europe( I mean to say European Union specailly Schangen Countires) Right during the same week when Lufthansa got the Allowance to land on Pakistani airport PIA ban was raised, even when no plane was replaced.

It was a strategy even by PIA not to offer them a landing place. As Mostly routing of Pakistani people to EU and US is done throught Frankfurt. So taking all passengers with their own aircraft collecting all of the connecting passengers and money(If they had no option with their previous carriage).

Now I think that they might have got an indirect pressure or indirect threat from PIA or PIA investing bodies to lessen thier services after their planes have been cleared.

Middle of December, when I heared that EU has raised the ban on PIA flights I called their headoffice in Frankfurt to get a ticket. They said that they will start their operation from March. But till today they havent started it. It is again, may be, money conflict.

PS: Its not only Islamist but 95% are capitalist use Islam as a name for what they want to do for themselves.

your favourite Evergreens/Oldies (black and white or color)
17

Re: Lufthansa Cancels All Service to Karachi

Thanks for the information...

18

Re: Lufthansa Cancels All Service to Karachi

They are coming back to Lahore.

19

Re: Lufthansa Cancels All Service to Karachi

I don't think they ever left Karachi...the website shows that they had flights all of this week.

They are supposed to be coming back to Karachi starting June 1 though...

20

Re: Lufthansa Cancels All Service to Karachi

Luft = Hava?
Hansa = Yollari?