The Lufthansa Group has taken delivery of its 700th Airbus aircraft, a new A350-1000, the airline group said on Tuesday.

The aircraft was handed over in the presence of Carsten Spohr, CEO of the Lufthansa Group, and Lars Wagner, CEO of Commercial Aircraft at Airbus, to mark 50 years of partnership between the two companies. The group said it is the world’s largest Airbus customer. 

The aircraft, registered D-AIFA and named “Deutschland”, is the seventh in the Lufthansa fleet to carry the special livery for the airline’s 100th anniversary, it said.

Lufthansa has ordered 15 A350-1000 aircraft for delivery by 2030. The first ten will fly for the Lufthansa brand from its Munich hub, the group said. 

The aircraft will be moved to Munich on November 11 and is planned to make its first commercial flight to Tokyo Haneda on December 3, 2026.

Spohr said the A350-1000 is “the world’s most modern long-haul aircraft”, and that it burns up to 30 percent less fuel per passenger and has significantly lower unit costs. He said the aircraft will be the new flagship at Munich and will bring Lufthansa’s new Allegris premium cabin to all travel classes. 

He noted that the 700th delivery comes exactly 50 years after the first Airbus delivery to Lufthansa and in the airline’s 100th anniversary year. He said the partnership shows what Europe can achieve when it works together.

According to Lufthansa, the A350-1000 is 73.8 metres long, seven metres longer than the A350-900, and seats 300 passengers in four classes: First Class, 49 seats in Business Class, 35 in Premium Economy and 212 in Economy. 

The release said the aircraft will be the first Lufthansa Group long-haul aircraft with the group’s new Wi-Fi powered by Starlink from its first flight on December 3. The service will be free for Miles & More members and Travel ID users in all travel classes, the group said.

Lufthansa said it has flown aircraft from every Airbus family over the past 50 years and has been a launch customer several times.

Source: PR