LTU International
Encyclopedia
LTU Lufttransport-Unternehmen GmbH was an airline based in Düsseldorf
, Germany
, now fully owned by Air Berlin
. The initials stand for the German
phrase LuftTransport-Unternehmen ("air transport enterprise"). It operated scheduled services on medium and long-haul routes, as well as charter services. Its main bases were Düsseldorf International Airport
and Munich International Airport
. In November 2007 LTU opened the third base Berlin-Tegel International Airport
for long haul operations only.
. It adopted its present name in 1956 when it operated charter flights. LTU has been headquartered in Düsseldorf since 1961.
LTU ran very popular U.S. routes from its Düsseldorf hub and directly competed on some of them with Lufthansa
, Germany's flag carrier. LTU did run well frequented services from Düsseldorf to Beijing
, Chengdu
and Shanghai but they were dropped.
The airline was owned (at March 2007) by Intro Verwaltungsgesellschaft (55%) and Marbach Beteiligung und Consulting (45%) and has 2,892 employees.
In March 2007, Air Berlin took over LTU International, creating the fourth largest airline group in Europe
in terms of traffic. Between them, the airlines carried 22.1 million passengers in 2006. The takeover was driven by the prospect of branching into long-haul operations and the chance to establish a stronger presence at Düsseldorf International Airport
. LTU will retain its name on its leisure routes but routes to the U.S. and China
will be branded by Air Berlin. http://www.traveldailynews.com/new.asp?newid=39703&subcategory_id=53
On 1 May 2007, LTU operated the first Arctic & North Pole Sightseeing Flight from continental Europe in aviation history for their charter customer Deutsche Polarflug. The flight took 12h55m and the aircraft, an A330-200 took a group of 283 passengers from Düsseldorf via Norway
, Svalbard
, The North Pole, Eastern Greenland
and Iceland
back to Düsseldorf.
LTU opened a third long-haul base (to add to Düsseldorf and Munich
) at Berlin-Tegel International Airport
in October 2007 when it based a single Airbus A330-200
there to launch flights to Bangkok
, Punta Cana
and Varadero
.
Air Berlin announced in 2008 that the trademark LTU will no longer be used. All flights are now named Air Berlin.
.
Additionally, LTU offered some dedicated seasonal sightseeing flights (without landing) around the North Pole
(see Deutsche Polarflug).
The average age of the LTU International fleet was 7.6 years.
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, now fully owned by Air Berlin
Air Berlin
Air Berlin PLC & Co. Luftverkehrs KG is Germany's second largest airline, after Lufthansa, and Europe's sixth largest airline in terms of passengers....
. The initials stand for the German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
phrase LuftTransport-Unternehmen ("air transport enterprise"). It operated scheduled services on medium and long-haul routes, as well as charter services. Its main bases were Düsseldorf International Airport
Düsseldorf International Airport
Düsseldorf International Airport is the largest airport in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and the third largest airport in Germany, handling 18.99 million passengers in 2010....
and Munich International Airport
Munich International Airport
Munich Airport , is located northeast of Munich, Germany, and is a hub for Lufthansa and Star Alliance partner airlines. It lies nearby the old city of Freising and is named in memory of politician Franz Josef Strauss...
. In November 2007 LTU opened the third base Berlin-Tegel International Airport
Berlin-Tegel International Airport
Berlin Tegel "Otto Lilienthal" Airport is the main international airport in Berlin, Germany. It lies in Tegel, a section of the northern borough of Reinickendorf, northwest of the city centre of Berlin. Tegel Airport is notable for its hexagonal terminal building around an open square, which...
for long haul operations only.
History
LTU was established in May 1955 as Lufttransport Union and started operations in FrankfurtFrankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
. It adopted its present name in 1956 when it operated charter flights. LTU has been headquartered in Düsseldorf since 1961.
LTU ran very popular U.S. routes from its Düsseldorf hub and directly competed on some of them with Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
, Germany's flag carrier. LTU did run well frequented services from Düsseldorf to Beijing
Beijing Capital International Airport
Beijing Capital International Airport, is the main international airport serving Beijing, China. It is located northeast of Beijing's city center in an enclave of Chaoyang District that is surrounded by rural Shunyi District. The airport is owned and operated by the Beijing Capital...
, Chengdu
Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport
Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport is a major airport serving Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province, China. It is located in the north of Shuangliu County, about southwest of downtown Chengdu....
and Shanghai but they were dropped.
The airline was owned (at March 2007) by Intro Verwaltungsgesellschaft (55%) and Marbach Beteiligung und Consulting (45%) and has 2,892 employees.
In March 2007, Air Berlin took over LTU International, creating the fourth largest airline group in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in terms of traffic. Between them, the airlines carried 22.1 million passengers in 2006. The takeover was driven by the prospect of branching into long-haul operations and the chance to establish a stronger presence at Düsseldorf International Airport
Düsseldorf International Airport
Düsseldorf International Airport is the largest airport in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and the third largest airport in Germany, handling 18.99 million passengers in 2010....
. LTU will retain its name on its leisure routes but routes to the U.S. and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
will be branded by Air Berlin. http://www.traveldailynews.com/new.asp?newid=39703&subcategory_id=53
On 1 May 2007, LTU operated the first Arctic & North Pole Sightseeing Flight from continental Europe in aviation history for their charter customer Deutsche Polarflug. The flight took 12h55m and the aircraft, an A330-200 took a group of 283 passengers from Düsseldorf via Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Svalbard
Svalbard
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
, The North Pole, Eastern Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
and Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
back to Düsseldorf.
LTU opened a third long-haul base (to add to Düsseldorf and Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
) at Berlin-Tegel International Airport
Berlin-Tegel International Airport
Berlin Tegel "Otto Lilienthal" Airport is the main international airport in Berlin, Germany. It lies in Tegel, a section of the northern borough of Reinickendorf, northwest of the city centre of Berlin. Tegel Airport is notable for its hexagonal terminal building around an open square, which...
in October 2007 when it based a single Airbus A330-200
Airbus A330
The Airbus A330 is a wide-body twin-engine jet airliner made by Airbus, a division of EADS. Versions of the A330 have a range of and can accommodate up to 335 passengers in a two-class layout or carry of cargo....
there to launch flights to Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Punta Cana
Punta Cana
Punta Cana is part of the newly created Punta Cana-Bávaro-Veron-Macao municipal district in La Altagracia, the easternmost province of the Dominican Republic. The area is best known for its beaches and balnearios, which face both the Caribbean and Atlantic, and it has been a popular tourist...
and Varadero
Varadero
Varadero is a resort town in the province of Matanzas, Cuba, and one of the largest resort areas in the Caribbean. Varadero is also called Playa Azul, which means "blue beach" in Spanish.-Geography:...
.
Air Berlin announced in 2008 that the trademark LTU will no longer be used. All flights are now named Air Berlin.
Destinations
Since May 1, 2009, all flights had Air Berlin flight numbers, operated by LTU crew. The LTU planes were used throughout Air Berlin's network and conducting originally LTU flights. See here for the full list of Air Berlin destinationsAir Berlin destinations
This is a list of destinations served by the airline Air Berlin, the second largest airline in Germany. It includes flights operated by Belair, but not those operated by Niki...
.
Additionally, LTU offered some dedicated seasonal sightseeing flights (without landing) around the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
(see Deutsche Polarflug).
Fleet
| Aircraft type | Number in fleet |
|---|---|
| Airbus A320 | 13 |
| Airbus A330-200 Airbus A330 The Airbus A330 is a wide-body twin-engine jet airliner made by Airbus, a division of EADS. Versions of the A330 have a range of and can accommodate up to 335 passengers in a two-class layout or carry of cargo.... |
10 |
| Airbus A330-300 Airbus A330 The Airbus A330 is a wide-body twin-engine jet airliner made by Airbus, a division of EADS. Versions of the A330 have a range of and can accommodate up to 335 passengers in a two-class layout or carry of cargo.... |
3 |
The average age of the LTU International fleet was 7.6 years.
External links
- LTU (Archive)
- LTU (Archive)
- About LTU - Air Berlin
- Deutsche Polarflug - formerly operated by LTU