Lufthansa to take over Frankfurt-Ottawa run from Air Canada

Lufthansa will add Ottawa to its route map next year, taking over the seasonal run from Frankfurt from partner Air Canada.

The Star Alliance carrier will offer five-times weekly service between Frankfurt (FRA) and Ottawa (YOW) beginning May 16, it announced on Tuesday. Lufthansa will operate an Airbus A340-300 with 279 seats on the route through Oct. 24, 2020.

Ottawa will be Lufthansa's fifth city in Canada after Calgary (YYC), Montreal (YUL), Toronto (YYZ), and Vancouver (YVR).

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Air Canada has flown between Frankfurt and Ottawa during the summer season since 2008, according to Diio by Cirium schedule data. It currently operates a Boeing 767-300ER on the route.

While dropping the Frankfurt run from Canada's capital, Air Canada will shift its year-round flight to London Heathrow (LHR) from Ottawa to a Boeing 787-8 with 255 seats on Mar. 29, the Montreal-based carrier said in a statement. The airline operates a 767-300ER with 211 seats on the route today, Diio data shows.

Air Canada and Lufthansa have an immunized joint venture between Canada and Europe that allows them to coordinate everything from schedules to fares and marketing as if they were a single carrier. The pact, which also covers flights between the U.S. and Europe, includes Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Swiss and United Airlines.