Affectionately known as the “Jumbolino”, the Avro RJ85 is being retired from Lufthansa’s Fleet.
On August 27, Lufthansa will fly their last ‘Jumbolino’ for the final time when the aircraft completes a roundtrip between Munich and Cologne. The aircraft type has been in the Lufthansa Fleet since late 1994 and has earned the affectionate nickname ‘Jumbolino’ due to it’s 4 jet engines mounted to a relatively small fuselage which gives it the look of a miniature jumbo jet.
During it’s 18 year tenure with Lufthansa , the BAe (British Aerospace) built RJ85 operated more than 575,000 flights, safely carrying 30 million Lufthansa passengers to destinations throughout Europe. Its small size and powerful engines allowed it to fly to some of Europe’s smallest airports, allowing Lufthansa to have a comprehensive European network.
At the peak of use, 18 RJ85 aircraft were part of Lufthansa’s ‘Cityline’ fleet. As the RJ85’s were being retired, they were replaced by more efficient Embraer and Bombardier aircraft.
If you happen to be on an upcoming flight that will be flown by the last ‘Jumbolino’, take a moment to appreciate it, take photos, and ask the flight attendants if they have an extra Safety Card. It’s certain to become a Lufthansa collectible!
The BAe Avro RJ85 FACT SHEET (Courtesy of Lufthansa):
I’ve always thought that the RJ85 and its old cousin the BAe-146 were sturdy, handsome airplanes, However, with four tiny engines to propel less than 100 seats they musts be very expensive to operate. Seriously over powered to accomodate short runways, they must be great fun to fly. I’d no t heard the name, “Jumbolino,” before, but I like it. In relative terms this is a young airplane and will probably see more serice elsewhere. I wonder where.
Certainly a unique craft, and one that some back in the midwest US miss.
NWA and its Mesaba airlines regional subsidiary ran them with 69 seats, 3-2 in coach, plus 2-2 in first class (with real 2-2- seats, not a crappy middle-seat block). Lufthansa’s configuration has something in the neighborhood of 90 in 3-3 seating, plus a cramped seat pitch.
In the NWA configuration they were a very comfortable ride, much more so than most of the newer regional jets. If your experience is more with high-density configurations more common in European operations, I can see where your thoughts would be different.
Indeed a model with a spirit of its own. Can’t say that it’ll be missed, since the newer regional jets are less noisy and more comfortable, but it’s a gem nevertheless.