Popular German route reinstated at Cork Airport following deal with Lufthansa 

Closure of Lufthansa's regional subsidiary grounded 27 aircraft around Europe last month

Germany is Ireland’s third-largest source market for inbound tourism, and the resumption of the Frankfurt service maintains "key access" for German holidaymakers when visiting the South of Ireland, Cork Airport said.

Cork Airport and Lufthansa have struck a deal to reinstate flights to a popular German route following the closure of the airline's regional subsidiary. 

Services from Cork to Frankfurt will recommence from June 1 and will fly every Monday and Friday. 

Cork Airport said that engagement began immediately with Lufthansa following the closure of its Cityline subsidiary, which grounded 27 aircraft last month. 

It added that the route from Cork to the German city grew "from strength to strength," before the closure, with the restoration supported by its popularity for business and trade, as well as inbound tourism.

The service will operate using a larger Airbus A319 aircraft, with a seat capacity of 138 compared with Lufthansa Cityline’s 90-seater aircraft.

With a departure time just after 5pm, the service will enable connections to the wider Lufthansa global network at Frankfurt, which is the airline’s main hub. From Cork, passengers can connect to destinations in Asia, the Middle East, South America, and many other European cities.

Germany is Ireland’s third-largest source market for inbound tourism, and the resumption of the Frankfurt service maintains "key access" for German holidaymakers when visiting the South of Ireland, Cork Airport said. 

The wider Frankfurt Rhine-Main region is home to over 5.8m people, and in 2025, Ireland welcomed a total of 433,000 visitors from Germany. Research by Tourism Ireland shows that after Dublin, the most popular region for German holidaymakers is the South-West.

“We were hugely disappointed with the closure of Lufthansa Cityline and the grounding of 27 aircraft affecting many European cities, including Cork," said head of aviation business development and communications at Cork Airport, Tara Finn.

"On that basis, it is a testament to the strength of the South of Ireland market that Lufthansa have elected to recommence the service using a different, larger aircraft type. We are delighted to be back connecting to Frankfurt from June onwards.”