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 | Apr 27, 2015 | Featured, Lufthansa |
When Lufthansa’s flight LH760 departed for Delhi, India on Sunday April 26, it was carrying over 60 aid workers from Germany’s Federal Agency for Technical Relief who are enroute to Nepal to assist survivors after earthquakes shattered the region.
The reason that the team is heading to Delhi is because Katmandu’s airport is closed, making Delhi the hub of operations for relief flights.
Emergency First Aid workers prepare to board for their flight to Delhi Courtesy: Lufthansa
Also on board this particular flight was over 8 tons of equipment including a portable unit designed to house patients requiring intensive care. Additionally, 8 specially trained dogs were aboard who will help search for survivors amid the rubble.
Lufthansa Cargo will be assisting the German government in the coming days by providing additional airlift support if necessary.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Apr 14, 2015 | D-ABYT, Featured, Lufthansa |
Lufthansa’s retro 747-8i, soon to be dubbed ‘Cologne’, enters service on April 16 when she departs from Frankfurt and heads for Chicago.
D-ABYT, or ‘Yankee Tango’ will be operating on flight LH430 from Frankfurt and LH431 from Chicago.
D-ABYT prepares for her first ever flight, a B1 test flight at Paine Field.
As always, last minute changes can happen to aircraft assignments, so I’ll provide an update if that changes.
‘YT’ was delivered to Lufthansa on March 25 and was set to be introduced to the public at an event in Frankfurt tomorrow celebrating LH’s 60th Anniversary. However, due to the Germanwings tragedy, the event was cancelled for obvious reasons.
If you’re any bit of an ‘Avgeek’, come back to the website on Monday for some interesting, once in a lifetime content from March 25th……..
Come back Monday for the ‘Rest Of The Story’
by Lufthansa Flyer | Apr 8, 2015 | Austrian, Brussels, Featured, germanwings, Lufthansa, Strike, Swiss |
Due to the scheduled strike by French Air Traffic Controllers that will take place between Wednesday and Friday, Lufthansa Group carriers have been forced to cancel flights to and from Paris.
Thus far, LH has canceled 24 flights for April 8 departing from Frankfurt and Munich, and should the strike go into a second day, additional cancellations can be expected for Thursday April 9. In addition, Germanwings has canceled 12 flights that are scheduled to operated between France and Germany on April 8.
LH Group member ‘SWISS’ has canceled 11 flights for April 8 with more cancellations possible for April 9.
Austrian and Brussels are warning that their flights may be impacted by the strike but they have not published any information regarding cancelled flights as yet.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Apr 1, 2015 | D-ABYT, Featured, Lufthansa |
Back in February of this year, I had the opportunity to be at Paine Field in Washington to witness the first flight of Lufthansa’s D-ABYT (click here for gallery). This 747-8i is particularly special because it sports a ‘Retro’ livery similar to the livery that Lufthansa’s 747s carried in the 70s and 80s.
D-ABYT is the penultimate 747 that will join the Lufthansa fleet and for Airliner Enthusiasts its marks the beginning of the end of the 747 at large. Orders and deliveries are winding down as carriers prepare for Boeing 777x in the coming years.
To mark this special moment in Lufthansa’s fleet history, I decided to take my best photos of ‘YT’, who will be nicknamed ‘Cologne’, and put together a calendar highlighting her first flight. A big thanks goes to KKFlyer who took care of the layout and publishing of the calendar.
We ran a small batch of these calendars that will share with some of my friends within Lufthansa but I did pull one aside to give away.
So, if you would like a chance to win this calendar, simply leave a comment to this post which will act as your entry (only one entry per person please). I’ll keep the entry period open until midnight (EDT) on Sunday, April 3. Open to anyone, anywhere!
My next project will be a calendar dedicated to the entire Lufthansa 747-8i fleet, so look for that one in the coming weeks. If interest is strong, we may order enough so that we can sell a few as well.
Here is a peek at the calendar. We set it up so it starts with April 2015 and goes through March 2016.
The photos below do not do it justice since it was they were taken with a smart phone!
Thanks and good luck!
