Starting in December, a new Eurowings route will serve one flight a week from Cologne/Bonn to Havana.
The German company’s move is a part its route development strategy expanding further into the American continent, after it has already launched its first route to Boston.
Scheduled US commercial flights to Cuba are expected to being later this year. American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and JetBlue have all submitted applications to the U.S. government. Such flights are expected to bring an end to the decades-old charter flights between Cuba and the US.
Last year, Lufthansa started its low cost, long-haul Eurowings subsidiary. Its first destinations include the Caribbean, Thailand and Dubai.
These first intercontinental flights will depart Cologne, German and will be operated with A330-200 aircraft by SunExpress Deutschland, a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines. The initial fleet will have two aircraft and will be expanded to add seven units in 2017.
Cuba flights start at 229.99 euros (US$259).
Lufthansa Eurowings subsidiary aims to attract leisure passengers, a segment that has been lost in Europe to companies such as Ryanair and easyJet.
