German flag carrier, Lufthansa, is to launch flights between its Bavarian hub in Munich and the Italian city of Perugia during the summer 2015 schedule. The carrier will introduce a twice weekly link to the capital of Umbria from March 29, 2015, operated by an Embraer E190.

The brand new link will enhance connectivity between Perugia and Germany. Over the past ten years only Ryanair has provided direct flights to the Italian city from the country with a short seasonal summer programme from Dusseldorf Weeze Airport between June and August this year.

The medieval hilltop city of Perugia contains a wealth of sights and attractions for visitors, including interesting churches and palazzi, Etruscan monuments, and aqueducts dating back to the Middle Ages. Within easy reach of Perugia is the famous pilgrimage destination of Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis of Assisi, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

“We are delighted to be able to announce the fifth new summer destination that will be served by Lufthansa next year. Perugia, which is close to Assisi, is a very special destination for lovers of Italian culture,” said Thomas Klühr, member of the Lufthansa German Airlines Board, Finances & Hub Munich.

Next summer, in addition to the new service to Perugia, Lufthansa is launching new routes to the Icelandic city of Keflavik, to Heraklion on the Greek island of Crete, to Seville in southern Spain and to Scotland’s largest city, Glasgow.

Perugia’s San Francesco d'Assisi – Umbria International Airport is currently only served by low-cost operators and alongside the seasonal link to Dusseldorf Weeze, Ryanair has year-round flights to London Stansted and seasonal services to Brussels Charleroi, Cagliari, Girona and Trapani and Wizz Air links the city to the Romanian capital Bucharest.

Although the Lufthansa schedule is primarily oriented to the point-to-point leisure market, the new Munich link will also provide connection opportunities. These have not been available directly from Perugia since Alitalia ended flights to Milan Malpensa in November 2005. Air Alps did resurrect the link to Milan in summer 2008 but flights only lasted three months.