Lufthansa sees bumper growth in Qatar

Germany's flag carrier Lufthansa registered more than 40 percent growth in passenger traffic to and from Qatar in 2012 compared to 2011, said the airline officials.

“Qatar has developed as one of the fastest growing markets for premium travel in the GCC. Our growth numbers in first class are especially impressive and the volume has nearly doubled within a year. This is a clear sign that our strategy to invest in brand new first and business class products as well as the world’s only dedicated first class terminal is paying off,” said Carsten Schaeffer, Lufthansa vice president, sales and service for South East Europe, Middle East and Africa.

More than 70,000 passengers from Doha flew with Lufthansa to and from Germany and to onward destinations last year.

The company has started operating from Doha seven year ago and now there are daily services from Doha to Frankfurt.

Schaeffer stated that the airline is planning to buy 275 aircrafts over a period of 13 years. “We had planned to buy a total of 169 aircraft by 2018. The plan now is to acquire 275 aircraft at a cost of US$34.7bn,” Schaeffer said.