The German airline Lufthansa’s new Italian brand, Lufthansa Italia, will inaugurate daily service to Bari from Milan’s Malpensa Airport, effective April 1. The move is part of a wider expansion of service within Italy by the new airline, which went into service in February, that also features flights to Rome and Naples as well as other European cities.

That’s certainly welcome news for travelers from within Northern Italy as well as from international markets with easy access to Milan. It remains to be seen whether demand will be sufficient to persuade Lufthansa Italia to add even more service as Puglia’s summer tourism season approaches.

Here’s the complete press release from Lufthansa:

Within just weeks of its inaugural flight, Lufthansa Italia is expanding its network in response to high demand. From April 1, the airline will also offer flights on domestic routes from Milan Malpensa to Rome, Naples and Bari. Since the beginning of February, passengers have had a choice of several direct flights per day to Paris and Barcelona. Starting this week, the airline will also fly to Brussels, Budapest, Bucharest and Madrid. From the end of March, Lufthansa Italia will then add another two European destinations – London Heathrow and Lisbon – to its network.

Excellent booking figures prompted Lufthansa Italia to add on more services and expand its original flight offering. From the end of March, daily frequencies to Brussels will therefore be increased from two to three. Passengers will then have a choice of six flights per day from Milan to London Heathrow. From April 1, three new Italian destinations will be added to the network. Lufthansa Italia will offer four flights per day from Milan Malpensa to Rome, two per day to Naples and one flight per day to Bari.

“After only four weeks, Lufthansa Italia has established itself successfully in the Italian market. Advance bookings for the coming months have developed so favorably that we are already in a position to expand our services,” said Karl Ulrich Garnadt, Executive Vice President, Lufthansa Passenger Airlines. “The feedback and assessments we have received from customers have been extremely positive. In particular, passengers greatly appreciate the combination of reliability and Italian flair.”

In order to serve the three new Italian destinations, Lufthansa Italia is adding two more Airbus A319s to its fleet. The fleet will thus comprise a total of eight A319s, offering seats in both Economy and Business Class on all routes. Especially on domestic routes in Italy, Lufthansa Italia sets itself apart from the competition, which only offers one travel class on these routes. In addition, on the route to London Heathrow, three of the six daily A319 flights will be operated by British Midland (bmi), in which the Lufthansa Group has a stake. “Despite the scarcity of slots at Heathrow, we will be able to offer our customers an extended, high-frequency service to London on this route, which is particularly important for business travelers,” Karl Ulrich Garnadt explained.

The infrastructure improvements that Lufthansa Italia has undertaken jointly in recent weeks with SEA, the operator of Milan Malpensa Airport, have also been well received by passengers. Dedicated check-in counters, more quick check-in terminals, upgraded gate and baggage retrieval areas in the Lufthansa design as well as shorter walking distances from multi-story parking areas provide greater convenience for passengers and speed up their airport experience.

Fares for roundtrip flights with Lufthansa Italia start at 99 euros, including all taxes and charges. Tickets can be booked online at www.lufthansa.com, or through the Lufthansa Call Center or travel agencies.

Photo courtesy of Lufthansa Italia