Lufthansa will launch a twice-daily service between Bristol and Frankfurt next spring.
The year-round flights will begin on March 30, 2020, and be operated by an Embraer 190. Due to a technical issue they are not currently bookable, which the airline says it is working on.
They will depart Frankfurt at 0820 and 1630, with the returns from Bristol leaving at 0935 and 1750. On Saturdays only the evening service will run.
Lufthansa previously operated between the cities in 2008 and 2009. Regional airline Flybmi flew between the cities from 2013 until it collapsed earlier this year, inconveniencing those who regularly used the route for work.
Flybmi, previously called Bmi, had a codeshare agreement with its former owner Lufthansa on the route.
Bringing back the route will allow Lufthansa to provide passengers from the southwest with connections to the Americas, Africa and Asia Pacific. The airport highlighted destinations including Tokyo, Cape Town and Singapore.
Andreas Koester, Lufthansa’s director of sales for the UK, Ireland and Iceland, commented:
“We are thrilled to announce the launch of the service from Bristol to one of our major hubs in Germany for summer 2020.
“The route will not only connect leisure travellers to the cultural city of Frankfurt, plus facilitate ease of onward travel, it will also attract additional business travellers to Germany’s financial centre.
“With the UK being such a vital market for us, we recognise the importance of reinforcing our commitment in this region and are delighted to be able to do so.”
Nigel Scott, business development director of Bristol Airport, said: “Lufthansa is a major global airline and the new double daily service from Bristol Airport opens up a wide range of European and worldwide connections to our customers.”
The service is expected to carry 60 per cent business travellers, according to news site Business Live.
Bristol regained its nonstop link to Brussels in September, with Brussels Airlines operating flights six times weekly.
Bristol Airport wants to increase its annual passenger capacity, which is currently ten million, to 12 million by the mid-2020s. However the plan is facing opposition from environmental activists and some local residents.
It is also seeking planning approval from North Somerset Council to enlarge its terminal building, extend its forecourt canopy, build a new on-site multi-storey car park and loop road layout to improve traffic flow, and add airside infrastructure improvements including a new taxiway link.
