Raleigh Durham International Airport welcomes first non-stop Lufthansa flight from Germany

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Raleigh Durham International Airport welcomed the first Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt, Germany on Thursday.

The new non-stop route to Frankfurt will operate five times a week on an A330-300 aircraft, according to RDU officials, and is expected to boost the Triangle business economy by $3.3 billion over 25 years.

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"The launch of service to Frankfurt was 10 years in the making, dating back to our early conversations with Lufthansa in 2014 and culminating in today's arrival of the first nonstop flight from Germany to RDU," said Michael Landguth, president and CEO of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority.

RDU said travelers will have convenient access to Germany and beyond, as well as connections to Europe, the Middle East, India, Africa, and more.