Airlines

History of Airlines in Germany

Germany's first national, flag-bearing airline was Deutsche Luft Hansa, created in 1926. Before the outbreak of WWII, the company offered an extensive network of flights within Germany and betwen larger European cities. During the period of WWII, although some commercial services continued within Germany and between the neutral and Axis-affiliated countries, these were largely restricted, with the majorty of Deutsche Luft Hansa's commercial airplanes later converted into military freight aircraft. After the Allies won the war and took control of air traffic, Deutsche Luft Hansa was dissolved and ceased operations in 1945. In 1953 Germany's new national airline Lufthansa was founded. Although the new Lufthansa shares many attributes with the former Luft Hansa, there is no legal link between the two. Throughout the Cold War, many restrictions were placed on airlines and travel was only permitted via specifc areas of air space. This led to slow growth for the majority of airlines. Ironically, the Cold War was also largely what helped aviation research secure funding to further airplane development, research which would eventually be beneficial to air travel as a whole. However in 1990 after German reunification, and with the lifting of restricted travel routes, the popularity of commercial air travel grew rapidly. In the 1990s, with airline deregulation in the EU, low-cost budget travel became popular alongside the national airlines operating here. Lunfthansa launched germanwings, a low-cost carrier, to compete alongside other low-cost brands in this market.

Major Airlines in Germany

As previously mentioned, Lufthansa is the flag-carrier airline of the country, and the largest airline in Europe. Air Berlin is the country's second largest carrier, followed by TUIfly. Other major operators include Germanwings, Germania, Hamburg Airways and Condor. Providers such as easyJet, Ryanair and Monarch also operate within Germany.

Lufthansa

As previously mentioned, Lufthansa is the largest airline in Europe, and carried around 50 million passengers in the first half of 2014. As well as being an operator in its own right, it is also a parent company to several other airlines such as Austrian Airlines, Swiss International Airlines and Lufthansa Regional. Services and facilities onboard are dependent on the ticket type purchased.

Air Berlin

Germany's second largest carrier transported over 31 million passengers in 2013. Air Berlin has transport hubs in Düsseldorf Airport and Berlin Tegel.

TUIfly

With bases at numerous German airports and headquarters in Hannover Airport, TUIfly has been running operations since 2007. More than 7.5 million passengers flew with TUIfly in 2013. Free drinks, snacks and meals are offered on selected journeys.

Popular Routes

Cologne, Berlin, Munich and Hamburg are some of the most travelled to destinations in Germany. Many of the most popular international routes connecting Germany are those to New York and other destinations in America. Tokyo, Bangkok and numerous other Asian destinations are also extremely popular. The majority of these routes are operated by Lufthansa, however Air Berlin also provide these services.