GERMANY: Lufthansa Introduces A350-900 To Africa

Lufthansa has announced that it will be introducing the A350-900 to its Munich to Cape Town route, starting in December 2018.

The aircraft is the world’s most modern and eco-friendly long haul aircraft. It uses 25 percent less kerosene, has 25 percent lower emissions and is significantly quieter during take-off than comparable aircraft models.

Dr. Andre Schulz, general manager for Lufthansa Group Southern Africa, said Cape Town has risen significantly in global rankings as a preferred destination for both leisure and business travellers.

European passengers travel increasingly to South Africa, both for leisure and business; and at the same time we see an increasing demand from locals to travel to Europe.

We are excited about introducing this world-class aircraft to our Cape Town – Munich route, in order to ensure we continue to meet our customers expectations and build on our African service offering, he said.

The A350-900 is the Lufthansa fleet’s state-of-the-art newcomer. Economy Class is particularly roomy and comfortable and features the most recent technology.

On average, the new plane consumes only 2.9 litres of kerosene per passenger per hundred kilometres, roughly one quarter of that consumed by comparable aircraft.

Rolls-Royce Trent XWB turbofan engines and optimised aerodynamics reduce its noise footprint by 30 percent, far below the regulation threshold.

Further, because the passenger cabin can be assembled at the same time as the fuselage, wings and tail plane, the A350 takes one third less time to build than other Airbus models.

Last year, Lufthansa placed orders for a total of 25 ultra-modern jet aircraft of this type. The first ten are to be based in Munich, flying to destinations like Delhi, Tokyo, Beijing, Hong Kong, Mumbai and Boston.

Currently, seven of the ten aircraft are already operating out of Munich. Along with Cape Town, the latest routes to be added to the A350-900’s schedule include Seoul, New York, Chicago, Denver and Singapore.

The aircraft can seat 293 passengers: 48 guests in Business Class, 21 in Premium Economy, and 224 in Economy Class.

Adding the A350-900 to our fleet has been a milestone for Lufthansa, and one that makes us exceptionally proud.

We are looking forward to welcoming this aircraft to Africa, and are sure that our passengers will share in our excitement, said Dr Schulz.



Tourism Observer