On the night of Thursday, February 3, with 2,000 guests in attendance, Lufthansa officially presented its new A350 long-haul aircraft in the Lufthansa hangar. With a dazzling light show, the world's most advanced and environmentally friendly jetliner was christened in the name of the city of Nuremberg.
Also addressing the gathering, along with Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr, was Dr. Markus Söder, the Bavarian minister of finance and chairman of Munich Airport's supervisory board, Munich Airport CEO Dr. Michael Kerkloh, and Airbus CEO Dr. Thomas Enders. On hand as the "godfather" was Dr. Ulrich Maly, the mayor of Nuremberg.
Spohr told the gathering that the A350 was going to "usher in the era of the two-liter fleet" for Lufthansa, explaining that the new Airbus would average 2.9 liters of fuel per 100 passenger kilometers – 25 percent less than comparable models. Moreover, A350 is just half as loud as similar-sized aircraft.
The choice of Munich – "Europe's best airport" – as the location for stationing the first 10 aircraft in the A350 fleet was quite deliberate, said Spohr. He called it a "reward for our outstanding cooperation".
Finance minister Söder also highlighted the significance of the choice of Munich to station the aircraft in his speech, calling it »an impressive commitment to our Bavarian hub«. Söder also emphatically reiterated his support for the airport's expansion plans: The chairman of Munich Airport's supervisory board said that the airport needs space to grow, and that the third runway is »an absolute necessity«.
Airport CEO Kerkloh said that he is proud to have the environmentally friendly and quiet long-haul jet stationed in Munich: »The key message for me is the enormous reduction in noise that this aircraft will mean for our neighbors.« Thanks to its lightweight design and state-of-the-art engine technology, the A350 is much quieter on take-off and landing than comparable planes.
The Nuremberg will make its first scheduled flight to Delhi on February 10, 2017 and will also provide scheduled services on the Munich-Boston route.
