The Lufthansa Group purchases four additional ultra-modern Airbus A350-900 long-haul aircraft. The aircraft will be acquired from Deucalion Aviation Limited and delivered to the Group still this year.
Lufthansa currently operates 21 Airbus A350-900s and has ordered five more A350-900s and ten A350-1000s as recently as March 2023. In total, Lufthansa holds 38 firm orders for this highly efficient Airbus long-haul aircraft, making it the world’s third-largest Airbus A350 customer.
In a globally unique project, the Lufthansa Group and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) are currently converting the Lufthansa Airbus A350-900 “Erfurt” (registration D-AIXJ) into a flying research laboratory. Now, an essential project milestone could be reached: For the first time, experts from the Lufthansa Group have attached the measuring probe system developed especially for the project to the lower fuselage of the A350 and successfully tested it in flight. Lufthansa pilots completed a flight program coordinated with the certification authorities in the airspace over southern Germany. The measuring system now being tested on the aircraft is the most complex of its kind and, in addition to the air inlet function, has sensors for high-frequency and -precision measurement of pressure and temperature. From 2024, the Airbus will collect comprehensive climate data during regular passenger flights for the European research infrastructure IAGOS-CARIBIC.
“We want to make flying more sustainable. That is why we have been supporting climate research for decades. The conversion of our Lufthansa Airbus A350 into a climate research aircraft is a globally unique project in which colleagues from a wide variety of areas at Lufthansa have been working together with partners in science for years. Our aim is to make a valuable contribution to climate research. The data that our aircraft will collect worldwide in the future will help to improve today’s atmospheric and climate models and thus their informative value for the future climate on earth,” says Jens Ritter, CEO Lufthansa Airlines.
Over the next few months, a measurement laboratory weighing around two tons and specially developed for the project will be set up. Some 20 measuring instruments will be installed in the laboratory, which will later be loaded into the cargo hold as a cargo container and connected to the measuring system on the outer fuselage of the aircraft. Next year, this high-tech laboratory will take off for the first time and collect climate data on selected flights in Lufthansa’s worldwide scheduled operations. The laboratory continuously records more than 100 different trace gases, aerosol, and cloud parameters from the ground to the tropopause region at an altitude of nine to thirteen kilometers. What makes it special: Climate-relevant parameters can be recorded at this altitude with significantly higher accuracy and temporal resolution on board the aircraft than would be possible with satellite- or ground-based measurement systems.
“IAGOS-CARIBC helps to close an essential gap in our understanding of the climate system. With the high-precision measurements of many parameters, we can understand which atmospheric processes are changing and how in climate change, in an altitude region where most of the atmospheric radiation budget, i.e., the greenhouse effect, is generated and changed. We can thus identify process-specific errors and their causes in climate models and subsequently improve their predictive capabilities,” says Dr Andreas Zahn of KIT and coordinator of IAGOS-CARIBIC. “We are extremely grateful for Lufthansa’s great commitment and support.”
The conversion of the A350 “Erfurt” into a research laboratory was preceded by a planning and development phase lasting several years. In addition to the Lufthansa Group and KIT, six other companies (Lufthansa Technik, Airbus, Safran, enviscope, Dynatec, and ACC COLUMBIA Jet Service) are involved in the IAGOS-CARIBIC project. The KIT also acts as coordinator of a scientific consortium of currently twelve research institutions in Europe and the USA, whose complex measuring instruments will explore the atmosphere in the flying research laboratory. The abbreviation IAGOS stands for “In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System” and CARIBIC for “Civil Aircraft for the Regular Investigation of the atmosphere Based on an Instrument Container”.
The Lufthansa Group has been committed to climate and weather research for almost 30 years now and has equipped several aircraft with measuring instruments since then. From December 2004 to 2020, a Lufthansa Airbus A340-600 (registration D-AIHE) has already completed around 500 measurement flights in the service of climate and atmospheric research as part of the CARIBIC project.
Top Copyright Photo: Lufthansa Airbus A350-941 D-AIXJ (msn 209) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 957622.
Lufthansa aircraft photo gallery:
Delta Air Lines today, March 26, will launch daily nonstop service between Los Angeles and London (Heathrow).
The route will be operated with Airbus A350-900s (top).
Top Copyright Photo: Delta Air Lines Airbus A350-941 N508DN (msn 190) RIV (Michael B. Ing). Image: 960329.
Delta Air Lines aircraft photo gallery (Airbus):
Finnair is preparing to spring into summer with one of its biggest North American schedules to date.
The Nordic carrier is set to operate 21 flights a week from five major cities across North America to its Helsinki hub this summer, giving customers greater choice.
Popular year-round services from New York JFK and Los Angeles will continue into the summer, with flights operating daily and three times a week respectively.
Those looking to travel from Texas can also make use of the airline’s convenient connection from Dallas/Fort Worth to Helsinki, which operates four times a week.
This month also marks a year since services started from Dallas/Fort Worth, with Finnair launching services from the ‘Big D’ on March 27, 2023.
From March 27, 2023, Finnair is also set to resume flights to Midwest in Chicago (O’Hare) and West Coast in Seattle/Tacoma, with three to four weekly services to Finland, giving customers great access across the whole continent.
By early 2024, Finnair plans to have refitted all its long-haul aircraft with the award-winning new cabin, giving transatlantic customers a modern Nordic experience.
Alongside the five US cities served by Finnair this summer, the airline also operates a thrice weekly service from Miami during the winter months.
Top Copyright Photo: Finnair Airbus A350-941 OH-LWL (msn 134) (Marinekko Kivet) AMS (Ton Jochems). Image: 957638.
Finnair aircraft photo gallery:
Finnair is set to resume passenger flights to the Japanese city of Osaka this Sunday, March 26, 2023, after a one-year hiatus.
Flights from Helsinki to Kansai International Airport will initially operate three times per week, with flights departing Finland on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, and returning from Japan on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday.
Services will depart the Finnish capital at 17:45, arriving into Osaka at 12:35 the following afternoon. On the return, flights will leave Osaka at 22:25, arriving in Finnair’s Helsinki hub at 05:30 the following morning.
Top Copyright Photo: Finnair Airbus A350-941 OH-LWC (msn 020) MUC (Gunter Mayer). Image: 960315.
Finnair aircraft photo gallery:
Starlux Airlines, a Taiwan-based luxury carrier, has announced the launch of its inaugural Taipei-Los Angeles transpacific flight debuting on April 26.
Initially starting with five weekly flights, the service is expected to ramp to daily in June.
Starlux also announced the establishment of its first US office based in Los Angeles and its new designation as the “Official International Airline Partner of the LA Clippers” as part of a multi-year partnership with the NBA team.
Luxury Service and a Taste of Taiwan
While the last few years have seen a plethora of budget airlines come onto the scene, Starlux is bucking the trend — a luxury airline expanding in a world of no-frills carriers. With a philosophy that luxury should not be the exclusive experience of the elite but readily available to everyone, the company is experiencing impressive growth.
With eyes to the skies and “luxury” embedded in its brand, StarLux strives to achieve the highest standards in operations, service, safety, and management. The airline operates the TPE-LAX route with its new-generation Airbus A350 configured in a premium four-class layout, with four seats in First, 26 in Business, 36 in Premium Economy, and 240 in Economy. Travelers in First and Business will have a cozy private space with a sliding door and seats with full-flat and Zero G mode for full relaxation. The extra-legroom Premium Economy section features a 40-inch Recaro seat with a leg rest and footrest bar. Economy Class seats are also built for utmost comfort, equipped with leather headrest and wide seat pitch. In addition, the A350 offers nose-to-tail seatback entertainment featuring 4K personal large screens.
The new flights will provide exquisite dining including Taiwanese signature dishes and amenities prepared for all-class passengers to enjoy an at-home experience in the air. StarLux will be offering First and Business guests a selection of the best top chef’s creations and local Taiwanese delicacies. Premium and Economy passengers can also enjoy top-notch delicacies and on flights departing from Taipei to Los Angeles, the popular StarLux signature yakiniku donburi is served onboard. And to bring greater individuality to their air travel experience, all passengers can pre-order meals online so they can enjoy the meal they want.
International Partnership with the LA Clippers
The Clippers are an innovative global brand with an international fan base and reach, and Starlux is the latest international company to join Clipper Nation. In addition to in-arena activations and hospitality elements in Los Angeles, Sstarlux’s partnership with the Clippers includes international rights through the NBA’s international team marketing program. The airline will activate in-flight branding, international sweepstakes, and other digital and in-person activations featuring Clippers elements and personalities.
Starting June 1, Clippers-themed amenities will be provided on Starlux TPE-LAX flights, such as themed meal packaging including paper placemats, napkins, towelettes, inflight meal foil covers, mini food flags, burger wrapping paper, and kids meal boxes. Other niceties include playing cards, eye masks, paper cups, stirrers, rice cracker packages, luggage tags, boarding passes, and stickers will be distributed at check in.
The Lufthansa Group is purchasing more state-of-the-art long-haul aircraft. The Group Executive Board has resolved to order
The orders were approved today by the Supervisory Board of parent company Deutsche Lufthansa AG. The aircraft concerned will be delivered to the Lufthansa Group from the mid-2020s onwards. Based on list prices, the order is worth a total of about 7.5 billion US dollars and is in line with Group’s mid-term financial planning.
The Lufthansa Group is also in advanced negotiations to acquire further long-haul aircraft which could be made available at shorter notice.
With today’s orders included, the Lufthansa Group will take delivery of 108 state-of-the-art long-haul aircraft such as the Airbus A350-1000, the Airbus A350-900, the Boeing 787-9 and the Boeing 777-9 over the next few years. In doing so, the Group will operate the quietest, most profitable and most economical long-haul aircraft that are currently in service. On average the new aircraft consume just 2.5 liters of fuel per passenger per 100 kilometers – some 30 percent less than their predecessor aircraft types.
The new long-haul aircraft will also replace older aircraft types. In the medium-term future, six such subfleets will be taken out of service: the four-engined Boeing 747-400s, Airbus A340-600s and Airbus A340-300s and the two-engined Boeing 777-200s, Boeing 767-300s and Airbus A330-200s. This will reduce the quadjet contingent within the Lufthansa Group fleet to under 15 percent: prior to the pandemic, quadjets made up some 50 percent of the groupwide aircraft fleet.
In addition to the agreement on the purchase of the new aircraft, Airbus and Lufthansa have also signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ to further strengthen their cooperation in the field of sustainability and future technologies. This includes the intensified use of sustainable aviation fuels, the further optimization of operations through a more efficient flight management and exploration into the use of hydrogen.
In total, and including the advanced short- and medium-haul aircraft of the Airbus A320neo family, the Lufthansa Group currently has over 200 firm orders for new aircraft of the latest generation which will be delivered over the next few years.
The Airbus A350-1000 will be a new addition to the Lufthansa Group fleet. The aircraft is 73.8 meters long and offers some 15 percent more capacity than the Airbus A350-900. The ten A350-1000s on order should primarily be deployed in premium-heavy markets. Therefore all these aircraft will be equipped with a First Class cabin.
Lufthansa already operates 21 of these aircraft with sizeable success. With the five aircraft ordered today, the Lufthansa Group will now take delivery of 33 further transports of this long-haul aircraft type.
Three Boeing 787-9s are presently in Lufthansa Group service. With today’s order included, 36 further Boeing 787-9s will join the Group fleet over the next few years.
Hong Kong Airlines will begin operating flights between Hong Kong and Beijing Daxing International Airport every Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday starting on March 15, 2023.
Top Copyright Photo: Hong Kong Airlines Airbus A350-941 B-LGC (msn 168) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 940394.
Hong Kong Airlines aircraft photo gallery:
Air Mauritius made this announcement about Category 5 TC Freddy:
Flights disruptions due to intense tropical cyclone Freddy – Bulletin 2
Following the latest updates from the meteorological services with regard to the sustained approach of intense tropical cyclone Freddy in our region, the following Air Mauritius flights have been cancelled.
| Date | Flight number | Routing | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 February | MK 015 | Paris CDG – Mauritius | Cancelled |
| 19 February | MK 017 | Paris CDG – Mauritius | Cancelled |
| 19 February | MK 053 | London Heathrow- Mauritius | Cancelled |
| 20 February | MK 749 | Mumbai – Mauritius | Cancelled |
| 20 February | MK 014 | Mauritius – Paris CDG | Cancelled |
| 20 February | MK 042 | Mauritius – London Heathrow | Cancelled |
| 20 February | MK 218 | Mauritius – Reunion | Cancelled |
| 20 February | MK 219 | Reunion – Mauritius | Cancelled |
| 20 February | MK 238 | Mauritius – Reunion | Cancelled |
| 20 February | MK 239 | Reunion – Mauritius | Cancelled |
| 20 February | MK 646 | Mauritius – Kuala Lumpur | Cancelled |
| 20 February | MK 748 | Mauritius – Mumbai | Cancelled |
| 20 February | MK 851 | Mauritius- Johannesburg | Cancelled |
| 20 February | MK 852 | Johannesburg – Mauritius | Cancelled |
| 21 February | MK 015 | Paris CDG – Mauritius | Cancelled |
| 21 February | MK 053 | London Heathrow- Mauritius | Cancelled |
| 21 February | MK 647 | Kuala Lumpur – Mauritius | Cancelled |
| 21 February | MK 749 | Mumbai-Mauritius | Cancelled |
Air Mauritius wishes to inform its passengers that all its outbound flights scheduled today Sunday 19 February 2023 from SSR International Airport, Mauritius, with the exception of Rodrigues, will operate normally as follows:
| Date | Flight number | Routing | Scheduled Departure Time | Scheduled Arrival time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 February | MK 248 | Mauritius – Reunion | 22h00 | 22h50 |
| 19 February | MK 748 | Mauritius – Mumbai | 18h40 | 02h20 |
| 19 February | MK 014 | Mauritius – Paris CDG | 22h50 | 07h35 |
*All timings are in local time
Flight MK 249, Reunion-Mauritius, scheduled on Monday 20 February 2023 at 07h00 local time has been preponed to Sunday 19 February 2023. It will now operate as flight MK 1249 at 23h25 local time and is expected to arrive in Mauritius at 00h15 local time on Monday 20 February 2023.
All flights scheduled to/from Rodrigues on Monday 20 February 2023 are cancelled.
Air Mauritius is closely monitoring the situation with the authorities and will keep passengers informed of developments through its Call Centre on 207 7575, on its website at airmauritius.com and through regular communiques.
Air Mauritius regrets any inconvenience caused.
Air Mauritius currently operates direct flights to 10 destinations in Europe, India, Africa, Asia, Australia and the Indian Ocean islands. From Paris Charles De Gaulle airport, connections are offered to above 70 destinations in Europe with Air France.
From the Piper Navajo at its humble beginnings, Air Mauritius nowadays has one of the youngest and most modern fleet in the world, with the latest generation aircraft such as the Airbus A350-900 XWB and the A330-900neo.
Top Copyright Photo: Air Mauritius Airbus A350-941 3B-NBQ (msn 157) CDG (Jacques Guillem Collection). Image: 951615.
Air Mauritius aircraft photo gallery:
Azul Linhas Aéreas has announced the expansion of its international long-haul network and the addition of its 2nd European destination.
Nonstop service from the Sao Paulo – Viracopos hub to Paris Orly airport will begin on April 26, 2023. This will be the first South American destination for Paris Orly and the only nonstop service between the two airports. The service will be flown by Azul’s modern and efficient Airbus A350-900 aircraft with seating in 3 cabins for 334 passengers: 33 in Azul Business, 118 in Azul Economy Extra and 183 in Azul Economy.
With six weekly frequencies, from Wednesday to Monday, flights depart Azul’s Viracopos hub at 23:00 enabling convenient connections from our network all over Brazil with a scheduled arrival time at Paris Orly of 15:30 local. In the return direction the flight departs Orly at 22:15 arriving into Viracopos at 4:45AM local time. On July 31, the flights will be daily.
The Airbus A350
One of the world’s most modern and efficient aircraft, the A350-900 provides the latest generation in passenger comfort, fuel efficiency and cargo capacity. The aircraft consumes 20% less fuel per seat compared to older generation A330 aircraft. In Azul’s fleet the aircraft is configured with 33 seats in Azul Business, 118 in Azul Economy Extra and 183 in Azul Economy.
The Tata Group-owned Air India has announced its commitment to order 250 Airbus aircraft to boost its domestic and international operations.
The commitment includes 140 A320neo and 70 A321neo single-aisle aircraft as well as 34 A350-1000 and six A350-900 wide-body jets that will mark a new era for the country as the all-new, long-range aircraft celebrates its debut in the Indian market.
The order aims to both modernize and expand the airline’s fleet with the objective of creating a larger and premium full-service carrier that will cater to the growing travel demand in the region. Deliveries are set to commence with the first A350-900 arriving by late-2023.
Air India aircraft photo gallery:
Vietnam Airlines and Singapore Airlines (SIA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen the commercial collaboration between the two airlines.
The carriers will initially explore opportunities for codeshare arrangements to facilitate better connectivity between Vietnam and Singapore. This could potentially be expanded to include other destinations that SIA serves. The two airlines will also explore other areas of commercial cooperation that could offer more value and options to their customers.
Vietnam Airlines and Singapore Airlines have had a long-standing partnership for over 20 years. As international border restrictions eased in 2022, both airlines sought opportunities to expand their bilateral cooperation to provide quality service for their customers travelling between Vietnam and Singapore.
Top Copyright Photo: Vietnam Airlines Airbus A350-941 VN-A897 (msn 197) (SkyTeam) AMS (Ton Jochems). Image: 956426.
Vietnam Airlines aircraft photo gallery:
Qatar Airways and Airbus are pleased to have reached an amicable and mutually agreeable settlement in relation to their legal dispute over A350 surface degradation and the grounding of A350 aircraft.
A repair project is now underway and both parties look forward to getting these aircraft safely back in the air.
The details of the settlement are confidential and the parties will now proceed to discontinue their legal claims.
The settlement agreement is not an admission of liability for either party.
This agreement will enable Qatar Airways and Airbus to move forward and work together as partners.
Top Copyright Photo: Qatar Airways Airbus A350-941 A7-ALA (msn 006) AMS (Ton Jochems). Image: 960011.
Qatar Airwasys aircraft photo gallery:
Finnair has modified ten of its flagship Airbus A350s to carry more customers and cargo as it continues to increase capacity across its popular Asian routes.
The Finnish carrier has worked with Airbus to increase the maximum take-off weight for a specially selected number of its state-of-the-art aircraft as demand for flights to and from Asia has risen.
Modifications made involve minor changes and updates to aircraft’s software and placards and manuals in cooperation with aircraft manufacturer Airbus.
The Nordic airline made the changes to aircraft which regularly serve Seoul and Tokyo, two of the carrier’s longer intercontinental routes.
Each route has been made longer following the closure of Russian airspace which has forced Finnair to replan its flights and detour around Russia, consuming more fuel than used previously.
The normally lighter take-off weight had limited the number of customers and the amount of cargo each aircraft could carry, given the extended flight times.
But now after the modifications each aircraft can carry more customers and cargo – and importantly more fuel to fly the longer flight times between Finland and South Korea and Japan – as well as increasing the economic efficiency of each flight.
These modifications form part of Finnair’s strategy to restore profitability and increase payloads, in spite of airspace closures and increased flight times.
Before, the maximum take-off weight of Finnair’s A350 fleet was 268 tonnes. Now the maximum take-off weight for five aircraft has been increased to 275 tonnes, and the remaining five to 280 tonnes.
The maximum take-off weight increase enables more customers and cargo to be carried, with the total capacity expected to be increased by up to eight tonnes, depending on the aircraft’s respective maximum take-off weight, route as well as flight times conditions.
The plane and fuel together make up most of an aircraft’s weight, followed by customers, with a full plane weighing approximately 24,000kg. Checked-in bags typically weigh an additional 5,500kg, with cargo adding an extra 15,000kg.
Aircraft software compensates for the centre of gravity change and maintains the same handling characteristics, meaning that flying the aircraft does not change.
Each aircraft’s new maximum take-off weight is taken into account by experts at Finnair’s daily flight operations in their Helsinki hub.
The modifications were completed during the two first weeks in January, and operation with the new maximum take-off weight began on January 18, 2023.
Top Copyright Photo: Finnair Airbus A350-941 OH-LWG (msn 051) MUC (Gunter Mayer). Image: 959999.
Finnair aircraft photo gallery: