JEDDAH, 5 July 2006 — Lufthansa and Swiss international airlines said yesterday that their coming together would help in offering better services and more frequencies from Saudi Arabia.
“Two airlines, one price” is the slogan of their combined operation that currently has six flights a week from Riyadh and Jeddah. “We’re able to further streamline our operations now that we have come together, as we’ll be sharing all the existing facilities of the two airlines,” Rolf Koller, Lufthansa-Swiss airlines’ general manager for Saudi Arabia, said at the opening of the new joint office for the two carriers at Falcon Building, Madinah Road, yesterday. Their operation also aims to offer an additional frequency between the Kingdom and Frankfurt or Zurich from Dec. 1.
“The two airlines, although they come under one corporate company — Lufthansa group, will continue to enjoy a separate brand image,” he said.
German Consul General Dr. Hubert Lang, Swiss Consul General Adrien Evequoz, Alzouman General Trading Executive Vice President Abdullah Saleh Alzouman, Alzouman Aviation Managing Director Mohammad Saleh Alzouman, and Lufthansa-Swiss’s Western Province Regional manager Abdul Aziz Mangera took part in the ceremonial office opening.
German Consul General Adrien Evequoz said the coming together of the two airlines was a happy augury, “as we both (German and Swiss consuls general) have been working together. Politically too Switzerland has been closer to us,” Evequoz said. A Lufthansa team is today (Tuesday) in Germany flying all over to bring football fans (to support Germany) in the ongoing World Cup at the match venue.
“The Saudi market has vast potential and is waiting for you,” he said and expressed his wish that the staff would fly high.
Abdullah Saleh Alzouman, executive vice president of Alzouman General Trading of Saleh Mohammad Alzouman Sons Co. Ltd., said the Kingdom’s travel market was big enough for the joint operation to increase its share. Mohammad Saleh Alzouman, managing director of Alzouman Aviation, the general sales agent for Lufthansa-Swiss, joined Abdullah in congratulating the two entities to offer their best services jointly.
Abdul Aziz Mangera, Lufthansa-Swiss’s regional manager for the Western Province, said the two entities coming together meant the joint operation would offer one-stop service for many destinations. “Competition is growing as new airlines are coming into the market and this new office will offer one-stop service for passengers.”
For Saudi vacationers, Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy and Austria remain some of the most popular destinations.
“Riyadh has more of business traffic, while Jeddah has additionally ethnic and religious traffic,” Mangera told Arab News when asked about the difference between the two provincial markets. “Haj and Umrah remain the all-important seasons for us, aside of course from the vacation seasons,” he added.
Before their coming together, Swiss national carrier had a turbulent time in recent years. The demise of Swissair in the wake of 9/11 not only seriously bruised national pride, but also shocked the international travel community.
