Lufthansa to fly Columbus to Frankfurt, the city's first Europe nonstop
Lufthansa will start nonstop flights between Columbus, Ohio, and Frankfurt on May 5, 2027. It will be the city's first nonstop flight to Europe. Flights will run three times a week on a 287-seat Boeing 787-9, and tickets go on sale Tuesday.
Lufthansa will launch the first nonstop flight from Columbus, Ohio, to Europe in May 2027, flying to its hub in Frankfurt, WOSU and One Mile at a Time reported Monday.
Service starts May 5, 2027, and will run three times a week, on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, One Mile at a Time reported. Flights will leave Columbus at 4:20 p.m. and land in Frankfurt at 6:15 a.m. local time, WOSU reported. Westbound flights will leave Frankfurt at 11:15 a.m. and arrive at 2 p.m. on the 4,248-mile route, One Mile at a Time reported.
The airline will use a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with 287 seats: 28 lie-flat business class seats, 28 premium economy seats and 231 economy seats, the outlets reported. Bookings open Tuesday.
"We are very pleased to connect Columbus and the state of Ohio directly with our Frankfurt hub, the first intercontinental flight from this great city," said Dirk Janzen, Lufthansa's vice president of passenger sales for the Americas. He called it an important step in the airline's U.S. expansion.
Daren Griffin, president of the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, called the route "a tremendous milestone" that "establishes Ohio's gateway to continental Europe," WOSU reported.
The only other international flights at Columbus are to Toronto, Montreal and Cancún, much of that service seasonal, One Mile at a Time reported.
Public money helped. The route builds on JobsOhio's Air Service Restoration program, which shares revenue guarantees with local partners to lower the risk for airlines launching new routes, One Mile at a Time reported. Since 2020, the program has committed $46.9 million in such guarantees, $36.8 million from JobsOhio and $10.1 million from local partners, across 32 new routes and 15 expansions. One Mile at a Time said the deal looks close to risk-free for the airline. Neither outlet gave the amount set aside for this route.
The airport authority said the flight will serve hundreds of passengers each day it operates, WOSU reported. The region is home to 38 German-based companies, One Mile at a Time reported.
What we know: Lufthansa will fly Columbus-Frankfurt three times a week from May 5, 2027.
What we don't: How much of the state's revenue guarantees will go to this route.
Where outlets agree WOSU and One Mile at a Time both report three weekly Lufthansa flights to Frankfurt on a 287-seat Boeing 787.
Where they differ The cited reports agree on the key facts so far.