Lufthansa could open Glasgow to Brussels route

FLIGHTS between Glasgow and Brussels could be on the cards as part of possible further expansion in Scotland, the UK head of the Lufthansa group said today.

• Glasgow was keen to restore direct flights to Brussels after losing them seven years ago

• Direct flights between Glasgow and Frankfurt or Munich were also possibilities.

The move might follow the German airline transferring its Dusseldorf flights from Edinburgh to Scotland’s largest city in two weeks.

Lufthansa subsidiary Brussels Airlines is already doubling Edinburgh-Brussels flights to twice daily next month.

Lufthansa UK general manager Christian Schindler told The Scotsman that Glasgow-Brussels “might be an option for the future”.

He said: “We always need to look at opportunities.” He said direct flights between Glasgow and Frankfurt or Munich - Lufthansa’s hubs for connecting flights - were also possibilities.

Glasgow has been keen to restore direct flights to Brussels since losing them seven years ago.

Mr Schindler, who was visiting Aberdeen, said Lufthansa had decided to switch its Dusseldorf flights to Glasgow so that increasing them from summer only to year round would not risk “cannibalising” its Edinburgh routes to Brussels and Frankfurt, which Dusseldorf lies between.

However, Edinburgh airport has said: “We can’t understand the logic behind this move and believe that retaining the route at Edinburgh would have better served passengers.”

Mr Schindler said the Glasgow-Dusseldorf service, which he expected to be popular with both business people and German tourists, would transfer to Lufthansa subsidiary Germanwings, possibly as early as next year, but using the same 90-seat aircraft.

Lufthansa also operates between Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Frankfurt. A spokesman for Glasgow airport said: “We are looking forward to the launch on Monday, 8 April of Lufthansa Regional’s direct service to Dusseldorf. It will be the first time Glasgow will have served the German city, which is located in the heart of the prosperous Rhine-Ruhr region, in 20 years and the launch of the route will also mark the return of the extensive Lufthansa network to Glasgow, which is fantastic news for our customers.”