German flag carrier Lufthansa will add summer service to Ottawa in 2020, making the capital its fifth Canadian destination, taking over the route from Star Alliance partner, Air Canada.

Lufthansa will add service five times a week from Ottawa to its main hub in Frankfurt starting in mid-May until October 24, using Airbus A330-300 aircraft. The aircraft are configured with 279 seats in three classes. It replaces daily Boeing 767 service between the two cities.

Lufthansa also serves Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary (through its subsidiary Edelweiss), and Montreal, with Montreal gaining service from Lufthansa subsidiary Brussels Airlines starting in 2020.

“These are exciting times for the Lufthansa Group and its expansion, growth and increased capacity in North America. We have been serving Canada for over six decades and the ongoing expansion of our airlines flying to the region, especially the addition of the new Ottawa – Frankfurt route, underscores the Lufthansa Group’s ever-increasing commitment to the Canadian market, its economy and our customers,” said Lufthansa’s Senior Director of Sales in Canada Hans DeHaan.

While Lufthansa will fly fewer weekly flights, the larger Airbus aircraft means the overall number of seats will be about the same.

Air Canada also announced it would upgrade its Ottawa-London service to Boeing 787-8 aircraft, replacing a 767, starting in late March. The 767s are progressively being retired from mainline service.

The move also means more Star Alliance seats flying between Canada and Europe.

Air Canada is in the process of buying leisure carrier Transat. If the federal transport minister approves the sale, the Star Alliance will control at least two-thirds of the trans-Atlantic market, with Westjet and its partners holding much of the rest.