by Lufthansa Flyer | Apr 29, 2015 | 747-8i, Featured, Fleet Update, Lufthansa |
Later this week, on April 30, Lufthansa will take delivery of their last-ever 747 aircraft. When D-ABYU takes off for her home in Frankfurt on April 30th, it will mark the 80th 747 that will have served for Lufthansa over the past 45 years. ‘Yankee Uniform’ will also be the 19th 747-8i that has joined the fleet since June 2012.
The first ever 747 joined the Lufthansa fleet on March 9, 1970. (Courtesy: Lufthansa)
I was there when the first 747-8i was unveiled in Frankfurt on June 1, 2012 and I’ve been on a delivery flight of an -8i when D-ABYT (The Retro Livery) was delivered this March. I’ve even been on a flight between Frankfurt and Washington DC where I was the only passenger in First Class. I’ve also managed to personally capture every one of Lufthansa’s 747-8i aircraft on ‘film’. Suffice to say I think I may have a 747-8i ‘problem’.
Aside from these experiences, I’ve flown aboard the 747-8i many times over the past 3 years and it has become my favorite aircraft by a wide margin. I’m not even sure if I have a second favorite aircraft.
It’s safe to say that I’ve grown attached to this model and I’m genuinely saddened by the fact that ‘YU’ marks the end of a tradition of new 4-engined Jumbo Jets in the LH fleet.
D-ABYU shows her Vortices when arriving in Paine Field after a test flight.
Over the numbers…..
Yes, we can look forward to the 777s and A350s joining the fleet in a few years but it simply won’t be the same as watching the ‘Queen of the Skies’ over the last several years. Fortunately, the 747-8i aircraft are scheduled to be in the fleet for at least the next 15-20 years so us ‘avgeeks’ can still enjoy these birds for another couple of decades.
D-ABYU departing on her B1 test flight
by Lufthansa Flyer | Mar 31, 2015 | Business Class, Fleet Update, Lufthansa |
Each month LUFTHANSA updates the status of their Business Class retrofit progress across the long haul fleet. This month’s update confirms that 73 long-haul aircraft now feature the new Business Class cabin. That means that 3 additional aircraft now sport the new Business Class Cabin as compared to their March update. However there are 2 more that will enter service in April —
In addition to the 3 retrofitted aircraft, Lufthansa’s beautiful Retro-Livery 747-8i D-ABYT (Click here for Gallery) and A380 D-AIMM will also enter service in April, bringing the total to 75 aircraft with the new business class cabin.
The aircraft registration codes that are highlighted in green represent the 3 newly retrofitted aircraft.
Here is the breakdown by Aircraft type and then by specific aircraft:
Airbus A330: D-AIKP, D-AIKQ, D-AIKR, D-AIKS (These 4 planes were line-fit meaning that they were delivered by Airbus with the seats installed). D-AIKA, D-AIKB, D-AIKD, D-AIKE, D-AIKF, D-AIKG, D-AIKH, D-AIKI, D-AIKK, D-AIKM, D-AIKN, D-AIKO have all been retrofit by Lufthansa Technik. This represents 74% of the A330 fleet.
Airbus A340-300: D-AIGM, D-AIGS, D-AIGO, D-AIGV, D-AIGT, D-AIGN, D-AIFE, D-AIGZ, D-AIFC, D-AIGX, D-AIGU, D-AIGL, D-AIFA, D-AIFD, D-AIFF, D-AIGW, D-AIGY (All Retrofit).
Airbus A340-600: D-AIHE, D-AIHF, D-AIHK, D-AIHN, D-AIHQ, D-AIHR, D-AIHS, D-AIHV, D-AIHW, D-AIHX, D-AIHB, D-AIHC, D-AIHD (All Retrofit).
Airbus A380: D-AIMM, D-AIMK, D-AIML, D-AIMB, D-AIME,D-AIMJ, D-AIMC, D-AIMI, D-AIMG, D-AIMF. MK, ML, and MM were line fit while all other A380s were retrofitted.
Boeing 747-8i: All 17 aircraft have the new Business Class. D-ABYT will enter service in April and the last 747-8i, D-ABYU will join and complete the fleet on May 1.
Boeing 747-400: D-ABVW (Retrofit).
If you have upcoming Business Class travel on Lufthansa, you can use this tool to determine if your flight will have an aircraft equipped with the new Business Class.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Mar 13, 2015 | Eurowings, Featured, Fleet Update, Swiss |
LUFTHANSA Group today has announced additional aircraft orders for SWISS and Eurowings.
SWISS will receive an additional 3 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on top of their previous commitment for 6 of the same type. The 6 aircraft from the original order are slated for delivery beginning in 2016 while the 3 aircraft from this follow-up order will join the fleet beginning in late 2017.
Eurowings, Lufthansa’s LCC solution, will see the addition of 6 pre-owned Airbus A320 aircraft to their fleet. This move is not unexpected as LH is planning to remove all ERJ and CRJ aircraft from Eurowings over the coming year or two. These additional aircraft will join the fleet beginning in 2016.
