German Leisure Airline Condor Flies To Kuala Lumpur

By Manik Mehta DUSSELDORF (Germany), Nov 26 (Bernama) -- Frankfurt-based German leisure airline, Condor, which operates scheduled flights to leisure destinations in the Mediterranean, Asia, Africa, North America, the Caribbean, etc. has started flying in November to Kuala Lumpur thrice weekly in its 2018/19 winter plan. Condor is Germany's second-largest commercial airline based on fleet size and passengers flown. Headquartered near Frankfurt Airport, Condor is a subsidiary of the British travel group Thomas Cook, although it still partners with its former parent, Lufthansa through the use of the Lufthansa Group's Miles & More programme, its business lounges at Frankfurt Airport and as interline partner. A Condor representative told Bernama that the airline was deploying a B767-300ER aircraft for the Kuala Lumpur route from Frankfurt. Christian Schmitt, Condor’s managing director and accounts manager, remarked during the recent launch of the inaugural flight to Kuala Lumpur that the airline was expanding its long-route network with the launch of the flight to Malaysia. “With Kuala Lumpur, we are expanding our long-route network by adding to our service one more dream destination which will help us establish in the Southeast Asian market among holidaymakers as well as business travellers. Southeast Asia has gained immensely in popularity; demand is high and we will be the only airline to offer direct flights between Germany and Malaysia,” he said. Indeed, Kuala Lumpur is the 90th destination to which Condor flies from Frankfurt airport. Through the interline agreement between Condor and Malaysia Airlines, Kuala Lumpur will also serve as transit point for flight connections to destinations in Australia, New Zealand, Bali and Singapore. During a recent interview in Dusseldorf, Malaysian Ambassador to Germany, Sarah Nava Rani Al-Bakri Devadason told Bernama that “we are very proud that Kuala Lumpur is the first and only Southeast Asian destination to be flown by Condor. “This connection offers German travellers better connections to the rest of Southeast Asia, a region which is growing at a unique and fast rate”. She was confident that the new flight connection would contribute to improving the “entire spectrum of relations between Malaysia and Germany, including intercultural contacts”.  The envoy also lauded Malaysia’s cultural and ethnic diversities which offered a wide range of culinary delights. German tour operators are heaving a sigh of relief because the non-availability of direct flights between a German airport and Malaysia was leaving a negative impact on tourists who, generally, prefer direct flights to their destination.  Before Condor launched its direct flight to Kuala Lumpur this month, the only non-stop flight between Germany and Malaysia had been operated, until three years ago, by Malaysia Airlines which stopped this flight in the course of its drastic cost-cutting efforts. Lufthansa, which operated a direct flight to Kuala Lumpur, also discontinued this flight in March 2016. Condor will be operating flights to Kuala Lumpur throughout the year - three flights a week in winter and twice weekly in summer 2019. -- BERNAMA