May 5, 2008 – LUFTHANSA plans to launch an all-business-class service from Frankfurt to the city of Pune in western India at the beginning of July.

The six-times-a-week service will be operated for the airline by Swiss VIP specialist PrivatAir, using an Airbus A319 refitted with 48 seats capable of reclining almost flat to a length of 6ft 6in. Other business-friendly features will include large table-top areas, in-seat power and a reading light. Passengers will receive individual cabin service.

The new service is part of a continued push into the Indian market by Lufthansa. “We’re expanding our services in line with the very dynamic economic development in India," says senior VP for hub management Dr Karl-Rudolf Rupprecht. “With seven non-stop destinations and 55 flights a week, we are the leading European airline in India, having almost quadrupled our flights to the country since 2001.”

Located about 200km south-east of Mumbai, Pune has a population of just under five million and is home to large numbers of international IT, biotechnology and biochemistry operations. It is also the centre of the country’s automotive industry, hosting Tata Motors and Bajaj Auto along with European carmakers Mercedes, Volkswagen, Renault, Fiat, Skoda and Audi.