The well know German carrier Lufthansa has flew 2.6 percent less passengers in 2009 than in 2008. To match this slight decline in overall passengers, capacity has also been reduced by the airline by 1.3 percent over the course of the year.

Almost 55.6 million passengers flew with Lufthansa in 2009. All regions did report a drop in traffic, except for the Middle East and Africa. Revenue seat kilometers fell by 2.4 percent as well. Lufthansa continues to grow its routes to the Middle East. The latest announcement reveals plans for flights to Baghdad from Frankfurt and Munich.

Lufthansa said that, as Iraq is increasingly opening up to civil aviation, demand for flights to the country is starting to grow. Lufthansa is therefore examining the possibility of launching several new services to Iraq.

Flights to the capital, Baghdad, and Erbil in northern Iraq are planned for this coming summer. However, they are still pending traffic rights and possible infrastructure requirements. Lufthansa flew to Baghdad from 1956 until the start of the Gulf war in 1990. Erbil is already served by Austrian Airlines, which is part of the Lufthansa Group from its Vienna hub.

It should come as to no shock that Lufthansa posted some lower passenger numbers. This is because the travel industry has really been under fire by low passenger demand. However overall, Lufthansa has come out a lot better than other airlines, which are facing bankruptcy due to the current economy. Airlines are hoping that, by the end of the year, passenger demand will start to pick back up.