Accra, Mr Claus Becker, the Managing Director of Lufthansa Airlines has reiterated the airline’s commitment to increasing its services in Ghana and West African sub region.
He said this in Accra on Saturday when the airline organised a press briefing to introduce him as the new Managing Director for West and Central Africa and to announce their newly introduced daily flights to Accra in Ghana.
Mr Becker said Africa was very important to Lufthansa as it was a major part of their business.
He said he has worked with the airline for about 30 years in various capacities including product management, marketing and sales saying his first in Ghana was in 2008 when he came to witness the eclipse of the sun.
Mr Becker said he would be based in Lagos where the airline has its headquarters but has pledged to work closely with the Ghana office. “I look forward to working here with you to develop the Lufthansa business.”
Mr Becker said the main challenges facing the airline were inadequate infrastructure including airports, air traffic control, security, transportation among others adding that as the airline industry grows and passenger numbers increase, infrastructure must be developed to handle them, especially as airport taxes are passed on to the passengers in ticket prices.
Mr Yannick Aplogan, General Manager of Lufthansa in Ghana, said the airline had from November 1, 2011 increased its Accra/Frankfurt service from five weekly flights to a daily service with a brand new Boeing 737-800 intercontinental.
He said this was to satisfy customer demands and to provide greater flexibility and convenience for their customers.
Aplogan said Lufthansa was working closely with the Ghana Airports Company Limited to address challenges at the Kotoka International Airport such as inadequate parking bays for aircrafts.
“In spite of these challenges, we have been able to build a superior product for our customers, we have established a strong brand which stands for reliability and safety,” he said.
