There has been a 20 percent increase in the profit of Lufthansa-Swiss operations across Saudi Arabia, senior executives of the airlines said yesterday. “The combined airline is the only European carrier operating in all the three provinces of the Kingdom,” Rolf Koller, Riyadh-based general manager of Lufthansa German Airlines/Swiss International Air Lines, told a press conference. Those present included the new incoming station manager, Ivo Seehann, Abdul Aziz Mangera, regional manager for the Western Province, and Hasan Alzahrani, senior sales executive. “We have a daily operation out of Riyadh and Jeddah and Dammam, and Bahrain. What is more, the Lufthansa and Swiss teams are fully integrated in marketing and sales, and all our fares are combinable and can be flown via Frankfurt or Zurich to any of our offered destinations,” Koller said. Jointly with all of its Star Alliance partners, the combined operations of the airlines offer a “very good” frequent flyer program in “Miles & More.” This makes it attractive for travelers as they can accumulate miles on any partner airline and redeem them on one single airline. Referring to he current financial results, Koller said Lufthansa was setting new records. Its latest figures published for the first nine months of 2007 show 45.8 million passengers traveled on board its flights, marking an increase of 13.9 percent. The Lufthansa group increased its operating profit in the first nine months by 57 percent to 1.1 billion euros. “We can expect an operating result of around 1.3 billion euros for the full year,” he said, adding that it would represent a new record in terms of profit for the Lufthansa Group.
Corolla
The 10th generation Toyota Corolla made its debut at events simultaneously held in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam on Saturday night. The car was unveiled by Waleed K. Hambishi, senior general manager integrated marketing communications at Toyota-Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ) Import & Distribution Co. Ltd., and Hajime Sakaguchi, Nagoya-based Toyota Motor Corporation’s (TMC) general manager for Oceania, Middle East and Southwest Asian marketing division, at a ceremony held at Laylaty Hall. ALJ organized the launch live on TV screens in the three cites at the same time — Sahari Mall in Riyadh, Aziz Mall in Jeddah and Al-Rashed Mall in Alkhobar. ALJ President Mohammad Jameel said: “The introduction of this new model has created a sensation in the automobile industry because of its vast experience and luxurious style.” “The new Corolla is entirely remodeled by pursuing a creative style and sensitive performance to achieve a car that will appeal to the younger generation,” Sakaguchi said. Forty years have passed since the first generation Corolla was introduced in 1966, satisfying more than 30 million clients. For each generation, the Corolla made use of new concepts and technology required by that generation and has always remained at the forefront, he added.