Contact:

Suzanne Luber

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Septeber 11, 2000

Phoenix Mayor Skip Rimsza and the City of Phoenix Aviation Department are extremely pleased to announce the arrival of Lufthansa German Airlines to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. International passenger growth and a strong economy were two key factors in Lufthansa's decision to start service to Phoenix beginning March 2001in the International Concourse at the Barry M. Goldwater Terminal 4.

"The City of Phoenix and the state of Arizona are going to benefit tremendously with the addition of Lufthansa, the 23rd airline at Sky Harbor Airport," said Mayor Skip Rimsza. "Both economically and culturally, we are continuing our mission to make Phoenix an international destination and Sky Harbor, a Gateway to the World"

The estimated economic impact for Phoenix and Arizona is as follows; first year: direct $25 million, indirect $100 million; second year: direct $100 million, indirect $255 million and fifth year: direct will exceed $125 million; indirect will exceed $1 billion. Direct impact includes airline tickets, cargo shipments, landing fees, etc. Indirect impact is defined as rental cars, hotel rooms, tourism activities, etc.

Direct service to Europe's second-busiest airport will bring thousands of new visitors to the state of Arizona annually and will facilitate the flow of Arizona goods and services to the European Continent. In order to enhance the economic impact of this important new service, the Phoenix Aviation Department is proposing to enter into a cooperative marketing effort with the Airline. The new route will be served initially by an Airbus A340 with 247 seats.

Sky Harbor Airport will now serve 18 international destinations with nonstop service and has recently doubled the Customs and Immigration area to accommodate more passengers. With the addition of Lufthansa and its daily nonstop to Continental Europe, Phoenicians will now be able to reach most cities in the Middle East and Africa with one-stop service. Lufthansa is the largest airline in Europe and the second largest passenger airline in the US-Europe market serving 340 destinations in 91 countries.

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