German airline Lufthansa is to go ahead with its delayed Bristol to Frankfurt service in a move it said showed confidence in the airport as it prepares to emerge from the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The airline had planned to introduce twice daily direct flights last March but shelved them as Covid-19 took hold across the world – triggering a massive fall off in air travel. 
Lufthansa has now announced it is to begin a daily Bristol-Frankfurt link on June 28 under its Cityline brand.
The airline said the move strengthened its commitment to Bristol Airport at a time when business travelers and holidaymakers are looking ahead to international travel returning to normal.
Frankfurt, pictured, continental Europe’s foremost financial centre, was previously served from Bristol by bmi regional under a code-sharing arrangement with Lufthansa.
Bmi also flew to the German cities of Munich, Hamburg and Dusseldorf from Bristol – but these disappeared from the airport’s destination board when the airline went bust two years ago.
That left just two German routes operating from Bristol immediately prior to the pandemic – Berlin, served by easyJet, and Cologne by Ryanair – despite the country being an important destination for West of England businesses.
Frankfurt is also known for its world-class cultural attractions, including the opera house, Goethe Museum and the Deutsches Filmmuseum. 
Its airport is also one of Europe’s busiest hubs and Lufthansa’s new service will open up more, convenient links to destinations across the globe from Bristol.
Bristol Airport CEO Dave Lees, pictured, said: “This is incredibly positive news for Bristol Airport and the region. Lufthansa is a major global airline and this decision shows confidence in air travel returning to normal.
“The new daily service commencing 28 June between Bristol and Frankfurt opens up a wide range of European and worldwide connections to our customers.
“Frankfurt is a great city whether for business or leisure and the link between Bristol and Frankfurt allows us to promote the South West and Wales region to inbound visitors from Germany and beyond. 
“Today’s news is a strong indication of the confidence in the region. We see great potential for this new service and will work with Lufthansa on other exciting route opportunities in the future.”
Lufthansa Group senior director sales UK, Ireland & Iceland Andreas Köster said: “We are looking forward to resuming our Bristol service this upcoming summer and offering our customers great connectivity within our world-wide, multi-hub system.
“As one of the largest carriers in Europe, with just a short stopover in Frankfurt, our customers will have access to hundreds of connections to numerous destinations within our vast, global network.”
Lufthansa said return fares to Frankfurt will start from £104, including taxes, fees, carrier charges and carry-on baggage.
The airline's Cityline regional brand operates a 50-strong fleet, mainly made up of 160-seat Airbus A319s and Embraer 195s, Embraer 190s and Bombardier CRJ900s.
