AIRWAYS TRAVELER Queens on Vacation
11
LUFTHANSA , AGAINST THE TREND
Lufthansa does not still operate 27 Boeing 747 jets because it is economically viable or as a sign of respect to the legendary plane , it is because no replacement is arriving anytime soon . The Boeing 777-9X , which made its maiden flight in January 2020 , has not yet been certified . Not a single Lufthansa unit has been rolled out or started pre-delivery testing .
Lufthansa , which has reserved the D-ABT series of registrations for the triple 7 , is confident that deliveries will start in 2025 , despite the evidence showing that it is too optimistic to expect the type to be flying commercially by that time . In what may be an attempt to pressure Boeing to expedite the certification , and as a stopgap for the constant delays , the German flag carrier has placed an order for 10 exemplars of the Airbus A350-1000 , which , with its capacity and range , could also serve as a replacement for the Boeing 747 . However , according to Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr , the largest member of the A350 family is not expected to arrive until 2026 either .
This is seen as either good or bad news , depending on who you ask . Lufthansa investors or frequent flyers will opine that keeping the Queen of the Skies around is a necessary evil , despite the aging interiors and the fuel inefficiency that pushes up ticket prices .
On the other hand , aviation enthusiasts will be happy to be able to see quad-jets take off one more day in an industry that long ago discovered that four engines are always better than two . In this aspect , Lufthansa is the carrier that is more strongly going against the grain because , as of May 2024 , 62 four-engine planes are carrying the German brand across the world .
11 As of June 2024 , 43 passenger Boeing 747s are flying regular commercial routes worldwide . Of those , 27 are owned by Lufthansa . Let that sink in .
www . airwaysmag . com AIRWAYS MAGAZINE AUGUST 2024 33