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Lufthansa receives world's first 747-8

Lufthansa, which on Wednesday became the first airline to take delivery of Boeing's new generation Boeing 747-8, said on Wednesday it would add four more Intercontinental aircraft in 2012.

Carsten Schaeffer, the newly appointed vice-president, Sales and Services for Southeast Europe, Africa and the Middle East for Lufthansa German Airlines, said although the first batch of five 747-8 is meant for service in the USA and India sectors, he would hope to get the “new Queen of the Skies” to the UAE.

“It may not happen this year. However, given the growing passenger traffic in GCC sector, we have been planning to fly a bigger aircraft,” Schaeffer said at the Arabian Travel Market. Lufthansa will take delivery of 20 Boeing 747-8s up until 2015. The first five aircraft due to be delivered to Lufthansa this year will be deployed on routes from Frankfurt to Washington D. C, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chicago and Los Angeles.

He said the Middle East and Africa, the regions under him, are strategic strongholds of the world number airline in terms of international operation. Lufthansa, which wholly owns Swiss and Austrian Airlines, and holds 45 per cent stake in Brussels Airlines, has been ranked the largest carrier in Europe and the world number one in international operations with flights to 216 destinations.

“My goal is to change the ratio of passenger in the Middle East Africa sector in favour of local passengers. With this in mind, we have set into motion a strong marketing drive,” he said. Lufthansa, which operates twice daily flights to Dubai and one day to Abu Dhabi, offers non-stop flights to all Gulf destinations except Muscat. The Boeing 747-8 will have its first scheduled flight from Frankfurt to Washington Dulles International Airport in the US capital, Washington DC. Schaeffer said Lufthansa passengers would experience a new level of comfort on the 747-8 Intercontinental.

He said on June 1, Lufthansa passengers would have their first opportunity to experience the new Business Class. “The new seat offers exceptional comfort for passengers in a sitting or recumbent position, intuitive adjustment features, additional storage space and an individual entertainment system with much larger, 15-inch screens. At the press of a button, the seat converts into a comfortable bed with a horizontal sleeping surface measuring 1.98 metres in length.”

“The Boeing 747-8 is characterised by lower noise emissions, lower fuel consumption and significantly reduced CO2 emissions. That enables us to combine maximum comfort with sustainability,” Lufthansa Executive Board member Carsten Spohr said at the large reception held on Wednesday at Frankfurt Airport.

The aircraft also features an entirely new seating arrangement in the form of a “V”. Two neighbouring seats are angled towards one another along a central axis. This virtually doubles the distance at shoulder level between the seats, giving Business Class passengers even more privacy.

Schaeffer said the new Lufthansa Business Class seat boasts a horizontal sleeping surface measuring 1.98 metres in length. At the press of a button, it converts into a comfortable bed. The seat impresses with the exceptional comfort it offers as a flat bed or as an upright or reclining seat, with its intuitive adjustments, additional storage space and enhanced entertainment system.The new Business Class seat is a major component of Lufthansa’s largest investment to date in its inflight product. Over the next few years, some €3 billion will be channelled into product improvements for passengers.

issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com

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