Airline Launching Nonstop Service from San Jose to Germany

A German airline has announced it will begin non-stop flights between Mineta San Jose International Airport and Frankfurt Airport in Germany, starting next year.

On April 29, Lufthansa airlines will begin direct service, five-times-a-week, between the two destinations, according to Lufthansa officials. Using Airbus A340-300 equipment, the new service will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays as a nighttime flight.

The eastbound flights would leave San Jose sometime in the afternoon and arrive in Frankfurt the following morning. The corresponding westbound flights would also operate on the same five-day schedule and leave Frankfurt sometime in the morning, arriving at San Jose by the early afternoon, Lufthansa officials said.

The flight is around 12 hours long, according to the airline.

“It’s an exciting time at Lufthansa as San Jose is one of several new, important destinations that we plan to add to our network in the coming months. Furthermore, we will be the first European airline to offer direct flights from San Jose to Germany, Europe and beyond, which emphasizes the importance of this region to our airline,” Lufthansa’s Vice President of The Americas Juergen Siebenrock said in a statement.

Mineta San Jose International Airport has seen considerable growth in the last few years. The airport has served 9.6 million passengers so far during the 2015 fiscal year, with a 5.4 percent increase year-over-year, airline officials said.

Since the airport finished remodeling its terminal in back in 2010, it has welcomed non-stop flights to various destinations, including Tokyo and Beijing.

In a statement, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said the announcement “further illustrates that San Jose is a prime destination for world travelers.”

In August, British Airways announced it would begin non-stop flights from San Jose to Heathrow Airport in London, beginning May 4.

--Bay City News; Image via WikiMedia