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HONG
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CANADA
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EUROPE
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USA
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INDONESIA
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SINGAPORE
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THAILAND
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Philippines |
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Lufthansa will stop flights to Manila |
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Source: Manila Bulletin |
Author: Jaser A. Marasigan |
Date: 2008-02-01 |
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Lufthansa Airlines, Europe’s leading airline, will stop its Manila–Europe flights starting April 2008.
This comes on the heels of the Department of Tourism’s (DoT) aggressive promotional efforts in Europe particularly in Germany, France and Russia.
The German airline claims that the decision to pull out their Manila route is part of its business strategy in light of strong competition.
DoT Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said that they are consulting with the Civil Aeronautics Board and other partners in the tourism sector to make the country more accessible to more travelers, especially from the European region.
The Civil Aviation Board, meanwhile, informed the DoT that the air seats vacated by Lufthansa will most likely be taken up by Middle Eastern airlines.
Lufthansa currently flies seven times weekly from Frankfurt to Manila with 66 business class and 279 economy class allocations per flight. It provides over 30 percent of traveler traffic between the Philippines and Europe.
European visitor arrivals increased by 13.8 percent in 2007. The United Kingdom and Germany are among the country’s top 12 sources of tourists; Russia is the fastest growing market with a 128.9 percent hike in arrivals last year.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will be the only European carrier in the Philippines by April.
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