Lufthansa will fly nonstop between Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Munich’s Franz Josef Strauss International Airport beginning August 3, 2027. It is the first nonstop service ever between the two cities, and it gives Valley residents a single-seat option to one of Europe’s biggest connecting hubs — no layover required.
Your trip to Germany just got a lot simpler
Until now, flying from Phoenix to Germany meant connecting somewhere — Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, London — before you ever crossed the Atlantic. That changes on August 3, 2027. You board in Phoenix, you land in Munich. Done.
Munich’s Franz Josef Strauss International Airport is one of the busiest hubs in Europe. From there, Lufthansa connects passengers to cities across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Mayor Kate Gallego said the route “is a win for our residents, our businesses and the community as a whole.”
Phoenix Sky Harbor projects the route will generate an $81.2 million annual economic impact for the Phoenix community. That covers tourism dollars, business travel, and the ripple effects of easier international access. For Valley residents with family in Germany, for Arizona companies doing business in Europe, or for anyone who has wanted to catch Oktoberfest without a brutal layover, this matters.
The one thing to keep in mind: you have a wait ahead of you. The route does not launch until summer 2027.
August 3, 2027 launch: flight numbers and exact schedule
Service starts August 3, 2027, and runs three times a week, every week, year-round. The operating days are Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. One competitor outlet listed Saturdays — that is incorrect. The Sky Harbor press release confirms Sundays.
The outbound flight from Munich is LH482. It departs Munich at 1:20 p.m. and arrives in Phoenix at 4:00 p.m. the same day.
The return flight from Phoenix is LH483. It departs Phoenix at 5:50 p.m. and arrives in Munich at 1:25 p.m. the following day.
Tickets went on sale October 20, 2026 — the same day the route was announced — so you can book now if you want to lock in a 2027 trip.
A passenger jet on approach to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Lufthansa will operate flight LH482 into Sky Harbor three times a week starting August 3, 2027. (InsideTheValley.com)
Your seat options: Business, Premium Economy, and Economy on the Airbus A350-900
Lufthansa is flying the Airbus A350-900 on this route. It is a wide-body, twin-engine jet built specifically for long-haul flights. The cabin is quieter and more fuel-efficient than older wide-bodies, and the lower cabin altitude makes long flights easier on your body.
The aircraft is configured in three classes:
- Business class: 48 seats
- Premium Economy: 21 seats
- Economy: 224 seats
Total capacity is 293 seats per flight.
Worth noting for aviation fans: Lufthansa chose a different aircraft for its new Columbus route, which uses a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner equipped with the airline’s Allegris business class cabin. The Phoenix route gets the A350-900, not the 787-9.
A Lufthansa Airbus A350 at an airport gate. The Phoenix–Munich route will use an A350-900 configured with 48 Business, 21 Premium Economy, and 224 Economy seats. (InsideTheValley.com)
A first in two ways: Lufthansa Group’s first Arizona route, and Phoenix’s third transatlantic alliance
This is the first time any Lufthansa Group airline has ever flown nonstop to Arizona. The Lufthansa Group’s own newsroom noted that Phoenix “has not yet had a direct connection to any Lufthansa Group hub” — the Munich route fixes that.
It also completes a milestone for Phoenix. The city now has nonstop transatlantic service from all three major transatlantic joint-venture alliances. Lufthansa Group is part of Star Alliance. Dirk Janzen, Lufthansa Group Vice President of Passenger Sales for the Americas, said the airline is “thrilled to connect Phoenix, and the state of Arizona, directly with our award-winning Munich hub.”
Lufthansa is returning to Phoenix — what that means
The Sky Harbor press release carries a notable subtitle: “Airline returning to Phoenix with first-ever service to Bavarian Capital.” That word “returning” matters. Lufthansa previously served Phoenix before this Munich route.
Phoenix has also been without any nonstop Germany service since 2025. Condor Airlines had operated a seasonal nonstop between Sky Harbor and Frankfurt. A German Federal Court of Justice ruling relieved Lufthansa of its obligation to provide feeder flights for Condor at Frankfurt. Condor announced the Phoenix-Frankfurt cancellation in December 2024, and that service ended in 2025. Lufthansa’s August 2027 launch is the route that fills that gap — and then some, since Munich is a Lufthansa hub while Frankfurt was a Condor point-to-point connection.
Munich’s Marienplatz, the city center that Valley travelers will reach nonstop from Phoenix starting August 2027. (InsideTheValley.com)
Part of a bigger move: Columbus, Edmonton, and Lufthansa’s summer 2027 expansion
Phoenix is not the only city getting a new Lufthansa Group long-haul route next summer. The group announced on October 20, 2026 what it called its most extensive route expansion since 2020. Across seven airlines — Lufthansa, Discover Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Brussels Airlines, Edelweiss, and ITA Airways — the expansion adds ten new intercontinental connections.
Columbus, Ohio gets a Frankfurt nonstop on a Boeing 787-9. Edmonton, Canada also joins the new-route list. Phoenix fits into a broader strategy of connecting mid-sized North American markets directly to European hubs rather than routing passengers through a U.S. gateway city first.
When booking opens and what to do now
Tickets were available to book as of October 20, 2026. If you want to fly in the summer of 2027, the seats are open now on Lufthansa’s website under flight numbers LH482 and LH483.
The route launches August 3, 2027. It runs year-round, so there is no deadline pressure tied to a seasonal window. That said, 48 Business seats on a three-times-weekly schedule fills up fast for peak summer travel, so early booking matters if you want a specific cabin.
If you are already flying out of Sky Harbor and want to understand the airport layout before you go, see our guide to Sky Harbor’s terminal layout for American Airlines passengers and our Sky Harbor driverless shuttle guide for economy parking.
