‘Since the demand for air travel is expected to go down this winter, Lufthansa is going to operate fewer flights, especially domestic and European ones,’ the spokesperson for the airline reports.

The company’s new timetable provides for 12,406 flights a week, which is 7.4% less than the 13,402 flights operated every week in the winter of 2008. The winter timetable 2009/2010 comes into effect on October 25, 2009 and will be used through March 27, 2010.

During the winter season, Lufthansa will operate flights to 191 different destinations in seventy-eight countries (against 194 destinations in seventy-nine countries last winter). The overall decrease in the number of flights operated within Germany and Europe from 12,278 to 11,282 means the cutbacks mainly affect intercontinental flights. On the other hand, the number of long hauls will probably go up to 1,146 flights a week (compared with 1,124 flights a week last winter).

For the last few months, however, Lufthansa hasn’t been able to afford to operate flights to Yerevan (Armenia), Bristol (Great Britain), Ufa (Russia), and Portland (Oregon, U.S.A.).