German-based Lufthansa Airlines opened its first Asian customer service center in Shanghai, China's largest city, Thursday.

"The opening of the company's first Asian customer service center in Shanghai proves Lufthansa's commitment to China. Lufthansa is optimistic about the development of Chinese aviation industry," said Uwe Mueller, Lufthansa's Asia-Pacific regional vice president.

The customer service center, the company's ninth, is located in Shanghai's Luwan District. It has 40 employees who can spoke fluent English, Cantonese and Mandarin. The number of employees is expected to reach 70 next year.

Lufthansa opened regular passenger service to Shanghai in 1994 and the first non-stop flight between Shanghai and Frankfurt in 1996. There is now a flight between Shanghai and Frankfurt everyday.

Lufthansa opened an air route connecting Shanghai with Munich in March 2002 to cope with a growing passenger demand on the Shanghai-Frankfurt route. In April 2004, the Shanghai-Munich flight became everyday.

There are currently 41 flights between Germany and China each week. Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong serve as the main destinations of Lufthansa.

Source: Xinhua