Strategic expansion in Central Europe: airberlin launches new route and offers more frequent flights from Berlin to Poland
New: Berlin–Warsaw up to three times a day starting on 23 March 2013 Additional services: up to three flights a day from Berlin to Cracow as of 23 March 2013
airberlin is expanding its route network in Poland and will operate up to three flights a day from Berlin to Warsaw starting on 23 March 2013. The capital city is the third destination in Poland to be incorporated into the timetable of Germany’s second-largest airline. As of the same date, airberlin will also start operating additional services from Berlin to Cracow. This will mean it offers up to 48 flights a week to Poland from Berlin.
Hartmut Mehdorn, CEO of airberlin, said at a press conference in Warsaw: “We have strategically revised our network for summer 2013. The adjustments and additions to the timetable serve to boost our efficiency. In the future, we will step up our focus on our core line of business: holiday flights and scheduled services. Our prime objective is to sharpen the airline’s profile in key strategic markets such as Central and Eastern Europe.”
Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, airberlin’s Chief Strategy and Network Planning Officer, added: “With up to three flights a day – commencing on 23 March 2013 – we will offer more services from Berlin to Warsaw than any other carrier. At the same time, we are increasing our number of flights to Cracow. We also hope to attract customers travelling from Poland. Approximately 40,000 passengers from Poland have flown with us this year. Our hub in Berlin provides our passengers with an optimum link to our worldwide route network. This includes destinations such as Chicago, because we are launching new non-stop scheduled flights to Chicago at the same time as we open up the route between Warsaw and Berlin.”
Prof. Dr. Rainer Schwarz, CEO of Berlin Brandenburg Airport, commented: “I am delighted to be in Warsaw. Starting in March 2013, airberlin will integrate Warsaw into its route network, thereby further expanding its hub in Berlin. This will mark a further improvement in the link between the capital cities of Poland and Germany. At the same time, Polish passengers will gain access to additional connections from Berlin, especially on long-haul routes. Poland is an important market for us with considerable potential for the future. That is why we provide information for our Polish-speaking passengers in their native language on our website and in our flyers.”
airberlin operates three flights a day from Berlin to Warsaw Monday to Friday. It offers one flight to Warsaw on Saturdays and two on Sundays. airberlin’s current winter timetable includes two flights a day to Cracow and Gdańsk on weekdays and one to each city on Saturdays and Sundays. Starting on 23 March 2013, the airline will also launch more frequent flights to Cracow, operating up to three a day. Passengers travelling from Poland can book connecting flights to up to nine German destinations, as many as 41 cities throughout Europe and seven intercontinental airports. These include Düsseldorf, Munich, Vienna, Göteborg, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Oslo, Barcelona, Rome and Tel Aviv. Several US cities are among the long-haul destinations, such as New York, Miami, Los Angeles and – as of 23 March 2013 – Chicago. Thanks to a codeshare arrangement with Etihad Airways, passengers can also travel to up to 26 destinations in Australia, Asia and Africa via Abu Dhabi.