• A total of 106 destinations will be flown to in June 
• Mallorca, Sylt and Crete back in the program
• “Great desire and longing of people to travel again,” says Harry Hohmeister

Germany | May 8, 2020– Starting in June, Lufthansa, Eurowings and SWISS will be offering monthly restart schedules to significantly more destinations in Germany and Europe than in the past few weeks. The repatriation schedules will thus end on 31 May.

A total of 80 aircraft will be reactivated with the “June timetable”. This means that a total of 106 destinations can be served in the coming month. From 1 June, 160 aircraft will be in service with the Group’s passenger airlines. The previously valid repatriation flight schedule was calculated to be flown with only 80 aircraft.

The Lufthansa Group’s airlines are thus responding to the growing interest of customers in air travel, following the gradual easing of restrictions and limitations in the German federal states and entry regulations of other countries in Europe.

“We sense a great desire and longing among people to travel again. Hotels and restaurants are slowly opening, and visits to friends and family are in some cases being allowed again. With all due caution, we are now making it possible for people to catch up and experience what they had to do without for a long time. It goes without saying that the safety and health of our guests and employees are of the highest priority,” says Harry Hohmeister, Member of the Executive Board of German Lufthansa AG.

Letter from the Editor

The stay-at-home orders have affected millions of people, resulting in unprecedented unemployment rates in the U.S. and Europe, which are rising higher and faster than they ever have before. Compared to a year ago, the global aircraft capacity in available seat-miles is currently down by approximately 59%. Add to this that IATA is forecasting airline losses to exceed $252 billion, which could easily be revised upward in the next few weeks. The understatement of the week is that COVID-19 is having a devastating effect on our industry.

Damage has been done, much like what we experienced after September 11, 2001, and the financial crisis of 2008 – but on an even greater, global scale and we may well have past the point of a V-shaped recovery. As those events changed how governments, businesses, and the public functioned; so will this forever change us as well.

What might we expect these changes to look like? It is not unreasonable to expect new procedures to be put into place to manage the risk of reinfection: body temperature scanners at airports, immunization passports for travelers on every flight – much like today’s security screening but focused on the traveler’s health. After 9/11 it took the flying public almost a decade to adjust to the changes in travel and accept the ‘new normal’. So it is not unrealistic to expect that it will take a while for passengers to embrace the travel process post COVID-19.

Also, virtual meetings are becoming part of everyone’s lives – even those who are the most technologically challenged seem to be using applications like Zoom, FaceTime, Skype, etc. to fill the need to socialize. I am willing to bet that each of you has used one or more of these in the past week to stay connected with friends, family, and colleagues. For work, the virtual meeting has become business as usual right now and we are all discovering, out of necessity, how easy and useful these video conferences can be. This will undoubtedly contribute to a slower uptake in passenger traffic growth once things begin to return to ‘normal’, or should I say, the new normal.

The pandemic has also had an impact on the number of aircraft anticipated to be in service in 2021. The forecast is there will be 1,200 fewer jetliners flying than last year (2019). This is also going to impact the number of pilots, maintenance technicians, flight crew, attendants, etc. needed.

This is all a vivid reminder that aviation has, and always will be, a cyclical business. Historically, with each upturn in the cycle, our industry grows, renews and often performs better than it did before. This is what we need to keep focused on right now. The only big question we currently face is how long will this down turn last?

Stay Home, Stay Healthy – Tricia

Patricia Wiseman – Editor, Publisher & Co-Founder

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SATCOM DIRECT

Satcom Direct (SD), the business aviation solutions provider, is launching a new webinar series to ensure customers remain continually informed and updated about SD products, services and partner relationships. Grouped by product category, the inaugural webinars will explain the latest SD updates and product enhancements by delivering content created in direct response to customer queries and information requests. The agendas incorporate themes that are relevant and essential for effective management of flight operations and aim to improve customer understanding of the extensive SD Xperience portfolio. Each webinar will also detail how to maximize new and existing products in dynamic, unpredictable operating environments to effectively manage evolving situations. The first four workshops are scheduled as follows:

• 21 April, 13:00 UTC – SD Connectivity: detailing network and service updates along with SD partner information.
• 05 May, 13:00 UTC – SD Hardware: updates on router, modem and antenna products and how best to select and optimize them.
• 19 May, 13:00 UTC – FlightDeck Freedom®: latest on datalink services supporting mandatory requirements for the flight deck.
• 02 June, 13:00 UTC – SD PostFlight and SD Pro®: updates on platform functionality and optional third party integration.

The one-hour webinars will be delivered online to registered SD clients by an SD subject matter expert. Materials will be conveyed through presentations, graphics and interactive tools and are designed to stimulate participation and discussion, whilst allowing customers to address individual needs and queries. For customers unable to participate, the webinars will be available for review through the SD Learning Management System (LMS) portal after each workshop.

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GALGUS

IFExpress received an email from Jose Gonzalez, CEO & Co-Founder of Galgus. Galgus is part of the Wi-Fi community and works in the IFEC industry with VT Miltope on their CHT (Cognitive Hotspot Technology). Galgus has put together a YouTube video show casing how important Wi-Fi is and how the technology is facilitating working, studying, entertaining and engaging remotely during this pandemic. We thought we would share their tribute and recognition with you, our readers. Can you imagine this quarantine without #WiFi? – YouTube

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COLLINS AEROSPACE

Collins Aerospace Systems, a unit of Raytheon Technologies Corp., recently announced Troy Brunk has been named president, Interiors, reporting to Collins Aerospace president Stephen Timm. He succeeds Dave Nieuwsma, who was recently named president, Avionics, for Collins Aerospace. In his new role, Brunk leads a broad portfolio of aircraft interior systems for seating, lighting, galley, oxygen, passenger service, evacuation, de-icing, lavatory, waste and potable water for commercial and military customers around the globe. Brunk’s 27-years with Collins Aerospace has included leadership roles of increasing responsibility. Most recently he served as vice president and general manager for the Communication, Navigation & Guidance Solutions portfolio for the company’s Mission Systems business. In this role, Brunk oversaw a broad portfolio of military applications and solutions, ranging from communication and navigation, to actuation and guidance, and health and fuel sensing systems. Brunk also served as vice president and general manager for Airborne Solutions, where he oversaw the avionics and flight deck solutions for military fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.

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VALOUR

Valour Consultancy, an independent provider of market intelligence services to firms in the global aerospace and maritime markets, is delighted to reveal that it has been honored with the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise. The company is one of a select group of organizations nationally to be recognized with the accolade, which is the highest official UK award available to British businesses. Valour’s award is given for outstanding achievement in the category of International Trade after increasing its overseas sales by an incredible 157 per cent over the last three years.

“It goes without saying that we are immensely proud of this achievement, which is the culmination of years of hard work and sacrifice in establishing Valour as a reputable source of business intelligence” said co-founders, Joshua Flood, Craig Foster and Daniel Welch. The trio also expressed their gratitude to those that have supported the company’s phenomenal growth in recent years. “This award is testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff who have consistently delivered outstanding results and often make themselves available at all hours to answer client enquiries. We’d also like to give a special mention to those companies located around the world that continue to have faith in us to provide them with the means to make more informed business decisions, even in these uncertain times”. Valour Consultancy is headquartered just outside of Grantham in the United Kingdom and maintains additional offices in London, as well as in Melbourne, which is home to its subsidiary, Valour Consultancy Australia. Since its founding in 2012, the firm has become a trusted provider of insight and analysis to many of the world’s largest companies. This includes aircraft manufacturers, large global satellite operators, multinational service providers and a range of the world’s best-known airlines.

Valour Consultancy will celebrate the award during a royal reception for Queen’s Awards winners and intends to host its own celebration later in the year.

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LUFTHANSA

#WeAreInThisTogether is Lufthansa’s motto in these unusual times and the carrier is setting a sign to express its bond with the airline’s passengers: Frequent flyers who considerably contribute to the airline’s success get access to all the digital publications that they usually are only provided with when flying. Media Carrier as a leading provider of digital content supports this initiative, providing its technical platform and content for this initiative. Frequent flyers get an access to 781 newspapers and magazines from around the world and enjoy digital reading. The portfolio meets every taste, containing business papers, lifestyle publications, regional newspapers and international magazines, and offers daily inspiration and entertainment. All publications can easily be downloaded in pdf format to any digital device and are then available to read for an unlimited period of time. Apart from free offers, users can also buy publications.

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AIRBUS

Airbus SE shareholders approved all resolutions on the agenda for its 2020 Annual General Meeting, including the election of two new directors, while René Obermann formally succeeded Denis Ranque as Chairman at a Board meeting immediately afterwards. Owing to the global coronavirus outbreak, shareholders were encouraged to vote by proxy instead of attending the AGM physically in Amsterdam, in line with public health and safety measures. Shareholders showed a very high level of voting and strong engagement despite the COVID-19 situation, with 575 million votes expressed, up 5% compared to the 2019 AGM and representing around 74% of the outstanding share capital. On 23 March, Airbus announced that it was withdrawing a voting item from the original AGM agenda related to the proposed payment of the 2019 dividend. The withdrawal of the dividend proposal was one of a number of measures announced by the Company to bolster liquidity and its balance sheet in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Following shareholder approval, Mark Dunkerley and Stephan Gemkow each joined the Board as non-executive directors for a period of three years. Dunkerley has extensive experience of the commercial airline and aviation industry and is currently a Member of the Board of Spirit Airlines, Inc., while Gemkow is a Member of the Board of Amadeus IT Group and a former airline executive with 22 years at Deutsche Lufthansa AG.

The mandates of non-executive directors Ralph D. Crosby, Jr. and Lord Drayson (Paul) were each renewed for three years. Denis Ranque and Hermann-Josef Lamberti both stepped down as planned from the Board and its committees at the close of the AGM. At the meeting immediately following the AGM, the Board approved the planned appointment of René Obermann as Chairman of the Board of Directors. In April 2019, Airbus announced that Obermann had been selected by the Board to succeed Denis Ranque as Chairman. As previously stated, Denis Ranque asked to leave the Board to pursue other interests when his mandate expired at the close of the 2020 AGM, following seven years as Chairman. “It has been a great honour to serve Airbus as Chairman these past years and I extend my best wishes to René, the Board and the Company as a whole,” said outgoing Airbus Chairman Denis Ranque. “I’d also like to thank shareholders for their support along these years and today for having voted through these important AGM resolutions at a very high level despite the COVID-19 outbreak. With a renewed management team, under Guillaume’s strong leadership, and an experienced Board, your Company is in good hands as it heads into its sixth decade.”

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BOEING

Boeing will resume all Commercial Airplanes production in a phased approach at its Puget Sound-region facilities this week, after suspending operations last month in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. At all of its sites, the company has taken extra precautions and instituted comprehensive procedures to keep people safe and fight the spread of COVID-19.

“The health and safety of our employees, their families and communities is our shared priority,” said Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes and senior executive in the Pacific Northwest. “This phased approach ensures we have a reliable supply base, our personal protective equipment is readily available and we have all of the necessary safety measures in place to resume essential work for our customers.”

Approximately 27,000 people in the Puget Sound area will return to production of the 747, 767, 777 and 787 programs, supporting critical global transportation infrastructure, cargo services and national defense and security missions. The 737 program will resume working toward restarting production of the 737 MAX. Boeing South Carolina remains in a suspension of operations at this time. Earlier this week Boeing restarted mostly defense production operations in the region with approximately 2,500 people. Employees in the Puget Sound for the 737, 747, 767 and 777 will return as early as third shift on April 20 with most returning to work by April 21. Employees for the 787 program will return as early as third shift April 23, with most returning to work by April 24.
The company’s practices reinforce enhanced cleaning, employee health and physical distancing in partnership with employees. Aligned with federal and state guidance, these practices include:

• Staggered shift start times to reduce the flow of employees arriving and departing work
• Visual controls such as floor markings and signage to create physical distance
• Face coverings will be a requirement for employees at Boeing sites in Washington. Employees are strongly encouraged to bring in their own procedural mask or face covering; those who do not have a mask available will be provided with one.
• Providing required personal protective equipment to employees working in areas where physical distancing cannot be maintained for an extended period
• Asking employees to perform self-health checks before coming to work and to stay home if they are ill
• Employee wellness checks at the beginning of every shift and voluntary temperature screening at many manufacturing locations
• Contact tracing when an employee tests positive for COVID-19 to reduce risk to teammates
• Continued virtual meetings and employees who can work from home will continue to do
• Transportation and common areas adjusted for physical distancing
• Hand-washing stations in high-traffic areas and additional cleaning supplies available

Enhanced measures will continue until conditions allow for a return to regular work and cleaning processes. Boeing will continue to monitor government guidance on COVID-19, assess impact on company operations and adjust plans as the situation evolves.

Boeing completed its first COVID-19 transport mission, using a 737-700 aircraft from its corporate fleet to bring personal protective equipment (PPE) from China to the United States. Working in partnership with FIRST Robotics Founder Dean Kamen, the company transported 540,000 medical-grade face masks that will be delivered to healthcare professionals battling COVID-19 in New Hampshire. Kamen, who has a longstanding relationship with Boeing through FIRST Robotics, is also a founder of DEKA Research and Development Corporation. “Another life-saving delivery of PPE has arrived in New Hampshire,” said Governor Chris Sununu.

Boeing continues to support local communities and the heroic healthcare professionals working tirelessly to stop the spread of COVID-19. Additional airlift transport missions with the Boeing Dreamlifter and ecoDemonstrator are planned in the future. Boeing is coordinating closely with U.S. government officials on how to best assist areas with the greatest need. “I want to personally thank Governor Sununu, the entire New Hampshire congressional delegation and Dean Kamen for their leadership in helping secure and distribute this much-needed personal protective equipment for our frontline healthcare workers and first responders here in New Hampshire,” said Dave Calhoun, Boeing president and CEO. “We are honored to have conducted today’s airlift mission and we look forward to providing continued support in the fight against this pandemic.”

Also from Boeing: Brazil’s GOL reached agreement with Boeing on financial compensation related to 737 MAX grounding and then they cancelled 34 of their remaining 129 MAXs on order.

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OTHER NEWS

• How about a 5 minute video describing Artificial Intelligence? What is Artificial Intelligence? In 5 minutes. – YouTube
• There has been an IATA report that the airlines will take a $314Billion revenue hit in 2020 and to expect passenger traffic to drop almost 48% this year – Yikes! IATA – COVID-19 Puts Over Half of 2020 Passenger Revenues at Risk
• Oh, this is so cool! Radio Garden – Get radio stations all over the world by choosing them on a map on your computer (audio only) – Radio Garden – Explore live radio by rotating the globe

Lufthansa Systems is currently engaged in various AI initiatives and projects covering flight scheduling, turnaround processes and passenger apps 

Raunheim, Germany | June 13, 2019–Air traffic is growing at an average annual rate of five percent. In 2035 around 40,000 aircraft will share the airspace – twice as many as today. Already today there are sometimes bottlenecks, in the air as well as on the ground. This can lead to delays or even flight cancellations, resulting in frustrated passengers and high costs for the airlines. To meet these challenges, the industry is looking for solutions based on artificial intelligence (AI). As one of the world’s leading airline IT specialists, Lufthansa Systems is involved in various projects in this field.

“Artificial intelligence is almost ubiquitous today, and its potential is huge. This is why we have been working on this topic for years,” explained Mubashir A. Tariq, Head of Innovation and Portfolio Management at Lufthansa Systems. “AI solutions are based on the extensive data that is already available from the many different solutions used by Lufthansa Systems’ broad international customer base. The aim is to make even more effective use of the limited resources available without compromising the stability of the systems”.

The trick is to use this data in a smart and practical way. Lufthansa Systems founded a subsidiary in 2015 to handle this. zeroG employs around 50 data scientists and data engineers. They are highly sought-after experts in the field of intelligent data use and the development of AI solutions, and they also have a deep understanding of airline processes. In all of their AI projects, Lufthansa Systems and zeroG involve their customers in the development process early on in order to adapt the solutions to specific conditions and work with the widest possible range of real data.

Deep Turnaround is all about avoiding delays in ground operations, specifically the turnaround process. Using video recording, an algorithm analyzes the turnaround process (e.g., passengers disembarking, cleaning starts, catering on site, fuel trucks missing) and keeps everyone updated on the current status in real time. If necessary, the parties involved can take measures to speed up the process or counteract any bottlenecks to ensure a punctual turnaround.

The aiOCC project is investigating how to simplify the work of ops controllers. In collaboration with zeroG, an AI solution is being developed which analyzes historical data and uses the findings to suggest ways of optimally adjusting current flight operations in the event of irregularities. Machine learning is also being used here, meaning that the system continually learns and gets smarter the longer it runs. aiOCC is now in an early research phase with selected customers of NetLine/Ops ++.

Intelligent network planning is the focus of a research project carried out with Lufthansa Group Hub Airlines and zeroG. AI will be used to analyze the behavior of revenue management systems in order to make forecasts for optimal network planning.

To improve the digital passenger experience, Lufthansa Systems has developed a mobile SDK for integration in passenger apps which calculates waiting times at airports using an AI-based prediction model. This makes it easier for passengers to plan how much time they need to reach the gate. The inTime SDK can be easily integrated into any existing passenger app offered by an airline.

“The various concepts are being developed and tested together with airlines,” Tariq said. “From our perspective, AI will fundamentally change the way software solutions are developed. Instead of programming fixed or parameterized business processes, the algorithms of the future will be derived from data. AI-based technologies are paving the way for the digital future.”

Expanded functionality in Lido/AMM Airport Moving Map / External Bad Elf GPS receiver successfully tested with KLM on flight deck

Raunheim, Germany | February 26, 2019– Displaying one’s own aircraft position on airport maps helps pilots navigate between the gate and the runway. This function in the Lido/AMM Airport Moving Map from Lufthansa Systems can now be combined with the external Bluetooth GPS receiver from Bad Elf. This GPS is easy to install on the flight deck and considerably cheaper than using GPS information from conventional avionics systems. The small Bad Elf GPS devices accurately show the own-ship position on the airport map. This helps pilots, especially when navigating unfamiliar airports, and improves their situational awareness.

The new function was successfully tested with the customer KLM Royal Dutch Airlines during live operations between March and October 2018. “Since 2015 we have been using the digital Lido/mPilot maps across our entire fleet,” said Maarten Koudijs, Manager Digitizing & Navigation Support at KLM. “The Lido/AMM tests with the Bad Elf GPS device continually improved our setup. We also had test flights on different aircraft types, including B737, B777, B787 and A330. We are very pleased with the result of the field tests and are currently reviewing whether to introduce Lido/AMM with GPS-based own-ship position.”

Taken together, the navigation applications from Lufthansa Systems have thus far supported the following aircraft interface devices (AIDs) for integrating GPS information: the AID from Boeing ONS, the UTC Aerospace Systems Tablet Interface Module® (UTAS TIM) and GroundLink AID+ from Teledyne. Other cheaper GPS solutions, by contrast, are often not precise enough for use at airports. This new cooperation with Bad Elf led to the solution: a portable, external GPS device that is smaller than a conventional smartphone and can be simply certified for use on the flight deck. The Bad Elf GPS connects to the digital maps either via Bluetooth or cable, and no further installation is necessary. The new function has already been integrated into Lido/mPilot for iOS and Lido/eRouteManual for Windows. All that an airline needs to use it is the Bad Elf GPS Pro+ accessory.

“Displaying the own-ship position in Lido/AMM is not new in itself, but it has not often been requested by customers to date. We are therefore delighted that, thanks to our cooperation with Bad Elf, we can offer a more cost-efficient solution that is also fast and easy to integrate,” explained Dr. Bernd Jurisch, Head of Flight & Navigation Solutions at Lufthansa Systems. “We are confident that more airlines will now use this feature, which will further improve safety while navigating at airports.”

Lido/mPilot is Lido´s mapping solution for the iPad. Lido/eRouteManual is the Windows-based app for navigation maps. Both applications include all important route information, including altitude data, airways and airport information. The systems can access data such as GPS information, speed and the direction of the airport in order to display the position and orientation of the aircraft on the integrated Airport Moving Map (Lido/AMM).

Bad Elf has been offering external GPS receivers for improved situational awareness in electronic flight bag applications to private, military, and commercial pilots since 2010. Further information about Bad Elf can be found online at https://bad-elf.com/airlines

Jogging, running and cycling for the Lufthansa Group’s aid organization help alliance

Raunheim, Germany | January 24, 2019–To help employees overcome their inner couch potato for a good cause while doing something positive for themselves at the same time, Lufthansa Systems has come up with a very special campaign for 2019 called active4helpalliance. The idea is to pull together, get fitter, boost team spirit and, above all, collect money for the help alliance, the charitable aid organization of the Lufthansa Group.

Cycling, jogging or walking – every kilometer counts and is turned into euros by Lufthansa Systems. “The campaign started in early January and will run through the whole year. To ensure our employees’ motivation doesn’t wane over time and we gather a nice sum for needy children, we have set joint kilometer goals. If all the participants together manage to break the 10,000-kilometer mark by the end of March, we will double the amount reached as a bonus!“ said Olivier Krüger, CEO of Lufthansa Systems. “With this campaign, we want to acknowledge our responsibility for our employees’ health and, especially, our social responsibility – with a sense of fun and team spirit.“

Lufthansa Systems employees around the world are invited to participate in the campaign and collect kilometers. To make sure no kilometer is missed, all runners are tracking their distance using smartphones or fitness watches. All data is collected in the “endomondo” app so it is always possible to see how many kilometers the participants have already covered. At the end of 2019, the collected donations will be given to the help alliance.

“Every donation from us goes to one of the around 40 projects worldwide that are primarily helping young people. Our work is supported on various levels by employees of the Lufthansa Group, and we are delighted that Lufthansa Systems will make another contribution this year with the kilometers it covers,” said Andrea Pernkopf, Executive Director at help alliance.

The help alliance is the central pillar of the social engagement of the Lufthansa Group. As an international company and part of the German and international community, the Lufthansa Group takes responsibility for tackling current social challenges beyond its own business activities. In past years, the aid organization has supported more than 140 projects.

Active4helpalliance is not the first campaign Lufthansa Systems has initiated for the help alliance. The Lufthansa subsidiary has supported the aid organization with various fundraising campaigns for several years, such as employee anniversaries or the Christmas tombola.

SITA infrastructure supports more than 11-million customer interactions every year

Frankfurt, Germany | January 15, 2018– Lufthansa InTouch, responsible for managing customer service across the Lufthansa Group, has again selected SITA to manage its service center communication network and key infrastructure elements, ensuring that more than 11-million customers are connected to service agents every year.

SITA, a long-standing partner to Lufthansa InTouch, will continue to manage and maintain its service center communication network and key infrastructure to meet the airline group’s constantly evolving needs. SITA supports more than 500 local numbers in more than 90 markets, efficiently delivering traffic via a global IP network across seven service centers managed by a team of 2,230 staff speaking more than 30 languages.

The service provided by SITA has transformed how customer calls to Lufthansa Group airlines are handled. A close integration between SITA’s global voice network and Lufthansa InTouch’s Genesys contact center platform, ensures a caller – regardless of their location – is automatically and directly routed to a consultant best equipped to meet their specific requirements. These calls are allocated according to the routing policies defined by Lufthansa InTouch on their Genesys platform.

Through this optimization, Lufthansa InTouch has benefited from savings in transmission costs of up to 20% as well as significantly improved call quality, notably by eliminating forwarding of calls between sites.

SITA’s Unified Communications portfolio has allowed Lufthansa InTouch to consolidate voice, data and audio into one platform while effectively connecting the airline to its far-flung destinations.

Erik Mosch, CEO of Lufthansa InTouch, said: “Our customer service consultants at Lufthansa InTouch are the main point of contact for all our passengers across Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian airlines. They represent the airline and are there to assist passengers 24 hours a day – whether by phone, email, chat or social media. Supporting this fast-moving organization requires a partner we can rely on. SITA is such a partner, ensuring that our customers are quickly connected to an agent that can assist them in their own language in every market we fly to.”

Sergio Colella, SITA President for Europe, said: “We have leveraged our global experience and footprint to provide a service that is able to meet the evolving needs of Lufthansa InTouch. We understand that technologies change, new destinations are added and passengers shift the way they communicate. Our strength is to meet those changes with the most efficient communication infrastructure that supports an effective interaction with each of their customers.”

“jetlite” founders help design lighting concept for new Lufthansa Airbus A350 // Startup makes use of Hamburg infrastructure with Airbus BizLab, cluster and ZAL
Hamburg, Germany | February 7, 2017– When Lufthansa’s new long-haul Airbus A350-900 enters service this coming Friday, passengers will experience a cabin lighting concept tailored to the human biorhythm for the first time. 24 different lighting scenarios on board ensure that passengers reach their destination well-rested and with less jetlag than is typical for a long-haul flight. Hamburg’s aviation industry played a substantial role in the development of this world-first innovation for long-haul flights. The scientific concept for the new lighting technique originates with the “jetlite” startup, anchored in the aviation cluster, and was brought to market-readiness assisted by the six-month Airbus BizLab accelerator program. With the successful market launch, the young company will leave the Airbus startup center in March, moving into offices in the ZAL Center of Applied Aeronautical Research.

“We are thrilled that our lighting concept is making a visible contribution to improving the atmosphere on long-haul flights. Credit for this achievement is also due to the very effective infrastructure in Hamburg. The targeted support in the Airbus BizLab and the efficient connections between the various players in the aviation cluster and in ZAL meant that we were able to benefit from a unique network from day one,” says Dr Achim Leder, CEO of “jetlite”.

“jetlite” came into being as a result of Leder’s doctoral thesis on improving physical wellbeing on-board an aircraft by means of the targeted use of light. Warm light at the beginning of a night flight makes a demonstrable contribution to comfort and relaxation. In 2016, “jetlite” was one of six startups chosen to move into the newly opened Airbus BizLab Hamburg. The six-month accelerator program, also offered by the Airbus Group in Toulouse and Bangalore, provides targeted support to external and internal projects, guiding them to market-readiness. At the same time, the young company has from the very beginning been active within the cluster, Hamburg Aviation. This platform for all of the location’s aviation industry players, substantially supported by the Department of Economic Affairs, Transport and Innovation, has won several international awards for its successful networking.

Hamburg is the world’s largest competence center for aircraft cabin technologies. In the long- haul Airbus A350 alone there are several cabin features originating in the metropolitan region, including the “jetlite” lighting technology, the overall cabin concept (Airbus), mountings produced with 3D printing technology (Laserzentrum Nord/SLM Solutions) and the design of the Lufthansa Premium Economy Class (müller/romca). The CFK Valley Network in Stade and Lufthansa Technik at Hamburg Airport mean that regional players also play a definitive role in the development and maintenance of the Airbus A350.

• Green light from EASA: Supplemental Type Certificate issued

Frankfurt, Germany | June 27, 2016– In October of this year, the first Lufthansa short- and medium-haul aircraft will take off with broadband internet on board. Lufthansa’s entire A320 family fleet is expected to have the innovative technology installed by mid-2018. One key milestone has already been reached: Lufthansa Technik is the first MRO company in Europe to have received the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) from EASA to install a Ka-band antenna on the A320 family, i.e. the A319, A320, and A321 models. The STC serves to verify that the modifications to the aircraft (hardware or software) conform to the design specifications stipulated by EASA. Said specifications ensure aircraft’s continued airworthiness.

The first aircraft was equipped with the technology in June. In the coming weeks, the onboard system will be tested for functionality and stability. Lufthansa passengers will likely be able to use the new internet service from October. Other airlines in the Lufthansa Group will follow at a later date.

The future service from Lufthansa and its technology partner Inmarsat is based on the latest broadband satellite technology (Ka-band) and offers seamless, reliable coverage on short- and medium-haul flights through Inmarsat’s Global Xpress network. Passengers will be able to access the internet using their own mobile devices via Wi-Fi. In addition to basic surfing and email, other more sophisticated applications will be possible, including video streaming. At a later date passengers will be able to use their cellphones for SMS and data transfer via their own mobile accounts.

With its many years of experience in the aircraft modification sector, Lufthansa Technik is responsible for installing all systems and components as well as for the works required to comply with aeronautical and statutory regulations. In Europe, this was the first successful installation involving the GX communications network and the Honeywell-designed Ka-band antenna. To install the system, electrical and structural modifications were required both inside and outside the aircraft cabin. All modifications were developed and approved by Lufthansa Technik’s licensed development unit. The installed components were integrated in the cabin infrastructure in such a way that they are virtually invisible for passengers and easy to operate by the cabin crew. The work can be completed in up to four days or during regular maintenance layovers.

Lufthansa Systems provides the required IT infrastructure onboard the aircraft. This includes network operations as well as the innovative FlyNet portal for passengers.

Lufthansa Systems and Lufthansa Technik have also established a long-term partnership with global satellite operator Inmarsat in order to offer a modern, multifunctional onboard IT platform with broadband internet access to the market. Both the Lufthansa Group as well as airlines around the world will benefit from this strong partnership through comprehensive services.

Lufthansa carried out the world’s first scheduled flight with broadband internet access on January 15, 2003. Despite its growing popularity among passengers, the technically reliable service had to be discontinued in 2006 because the Connexion by Boeing satellites ceased commercial operations. Since December 2010 Lufthansa has once again been the first airline to provide broadband internet access on intercontinental flights. Since June 2015 FlyNet has been available on all 107 long-haul aircraft in the Lufthansa fleet. Lufthansa operates the world’s largest internet-connected long-haul fleet.

• Fast-growing start-up and international airline IT provider to enable safer unmanned flight through accurate, dynamic, and global airspace data

Santa Monica, CA and Frankfurt, Germany | June 14, 2016– AirMap, the world’s leading provider of airspace information and services for unmanned aircraft, and leading international airline IT provider Lufthansa Systems announced today a partnership to provide accurate, dynamic, and global airspace information to drone operators.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Lufthansa Systems to our network of data sources,” said AirMap CEO Ben Marcus, an airline transport rated pilot and flight instructor. “This partnership allows us to further enhance situational awareness for drones and their operators, helping to build a safer shared airspace.”

“We are excited about this collaboration with AirMap. The market for drones is growing worldwide. With the Digital Notice and Awareness System™ (D-NAS), AirMap not only enables drone operators to integrate airspace data needed for safe flights, but also helps airports and air traffic authorities know where drones are flying. We are delivering the airspace and airport data relevant for commercial operations from our extensive database to increase safety around airports,” said Igor Dimnik, Director Products at Lufthansa Systems.

AirMap recently announced the D-NAS to allow operators of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to provide airports and other airspace stakeholders with real-time digital information about the location of their flights. In collaboration with the American Association of Airport Executives, over 100 U.S. airports are piloting D-NAS for increased UAS awareness.

AirMap’s services provide recreational and commercial drone operators with real-time low-altitude airspace regulations and advisories, temporary flight restrictions, situational awareness, and more. These services are integrated into the drones and apps sold by leading drone companies, including DJI and 3DRobotics. The AirMap Software Development Kit (SDK) makes it easy for any drone manufacturer or application developer to include airspace information and services in their products.

“We are focused on building the tools for unmanned aircraft to safely integrate into the airspace system,” said Greg McNeal, co-founder of AirMap. “Lufthansa Systems is a partner in delivering best-in-class airspace information to the drone ecosystem through AirMap’s innovative technology.”

• New WorldTracer® interface provides cost-effective solution to tracing delayed baggage

Cologne, Germany | March 16, 2016– German airline group Lufthansa will speed up the repatriation of delayed or mishandled bags to passengers after it launches easy-to-use baggage tracing technology jointly developed with global air transport IT specialist SITA.

The new-generation WorldTracer® system provides Lufthansa agents access to a new, user-friendly desktop interface that makes it easy to record delayed baggage and trace the missing bags no matter where in the world they are. The new interface allows ground handlers, airport operators and airlines to access WorldTracer’s global baggage data while integrating it with their own reservation or operations systems, providing a rich data set that helps quickly trace a missing bag.

The new WorldTracer desktop application will be available to all agents across the Lufthansa group in 2016. Given SITA WorldTracer’s global presence with 450 airlines and ground handlers at more than 2,500 airport locations, the new system makes deployment of the new interface across a global network easy and cost-effective.

Guenter Friedrich, Vice President Commercial & Passenger, at Lufthansa said: “Every passenger wants their bag to arrive at their destination and Lufthansa strives to ensure that each passenger is reunited with their baggage at the end of their journey. However, in those rare situations where baggage is delayed, this new, user-friendly version of WorldTracer makes it possible for agents to quickly trace a bag and return it to its owner. This will have a powerful impact on customer satisfaction.”

Dave Bakker, SITA President Europe said: “Technology has played a vital role in reducing the number of mishandled bags, saving the industry $18bn since 2007. However, unforeseen situations such as weather delays can still result in a bag being mishandled. This new, easy-to-use application of WorldTracer speeds up the process of tracing and recovering mishandled baggage and provides further cost savings for airlines, airports and ground handlers.”

While the development of this new application was funded by Lufthansa and SITA, it will be made available to the broader air transport community as part of SITA’s ongoing investment in WorldTracer. SITA also recently launched the WorldTracer Tablet which allows mobile agents to roam the airport, helping passengers to report mishandled baggage and trace their status.

• Marks live debut of Spafax’s ICON family of digital products

Frankfurt, Germany | March 3, 2016– The Lufthansa Group, along with global content and media agency Spafax have launched an innovative new entertainment personalization platform. Using technology developed by Spafax, http://lh.com/mediaworld-en will provide Lufthansa passengers with a wealth of information about the programming on upcoming flights via a highly interactive experience.

The new site features a full listing of all movies, television programs, music and games onboard, and the site’s design allows for easy navigation of content, equal to what passengers would find on leading entertainment portals. Visitors can view trailers of films, as well as access an electronic program guide to learn which sporting events will be available via Lufthansa’s live television feed Sport24 (on all Intercontinental flights). Dedicated feature articles provide background on Lufthansa’s unique approach to entertainment, and children’s content is given a special focus for those passengers traveling with their families.

“Last year we successfully completed an extensive upgrade in cabin interior, inflight entertainment and connectivity on all of our long haul aircraft. Today we are excited to take our web based entertainment platform to the next level, too,” noted Dr. Alexander Feuersänger, Director, Product Management Cabin Interior and Inflight Entertainment. “And this launch only marks the beginning: interesting features will be added over time for our guests to have an even more personalized entertainment experience.”

Spafax CEO, Niall McBain added, “We are always trying to help our clients use both content and technology to improve their customer experience. The launch of Lufthansa’s new entertainment platform using our digital expertise is a natural extension of their industry-leading onboard product.”

Future releases of the site will feature additional exciting features, including the ability to personalize content recommendations based on passenger preferences. The site is based on Spafax’s PROFILE platform, part of the company’s ICON family of digital products, designed to help airline clients take full advantage of new personal technology to provide an immersive entertainment experience that is not limited by the need for new hardware.

Frankfurt, Germany | February 12, 2016– Lufthansa, Airbus and Pratt & Whitney holding a delivery ceremony in Hamburg – First scheduled A320neo flights with better fuel efficiency and more passenger comfort achieved through quieter engines – 40 years of partnership between Lufthansa and Airbus – Lufthansa Technik gains expertise in maintenance of the A320neo

Lufthansa, together with Airbus and the Pratt & Whitney engine manufacturer, celebrates the delivery of the world’s first Airbus A320neo. Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Lufthansa Group, Airbus President and CEO Fabrice Brégier and the President of Pratt & Whitney Robert Leduc invited 700 guests and media representatives to the official delivery at Hamburg-Finkenwerder. Following the ceremonial handover, the first two new-type airplanes were presented to the public. The first A320neo, with the registration D-AINA, has already flown scheduled service since January. The second “neo” is expected to complement the Lufthansa Airbus fleet soon. The first experiences with the A320neo clearly show that the 15 percent lower fuel consumption mark has not only been achieved but even slightly exceeded. The significantly quieter engines also increase customer comfort on-board and provide relief to residents near airports by reducing noise emissions.

The development and introduction of the quietest and most fuel-efficient aircraft on short and medium distances is further evidence of the successful cooperation in the aviation industry at European level. “Europe has been a leader in this fascinating industry since the early days of aviation,” says Carsten Spohr. “Lufthansa and Airbus have developed a trusting and productive 40-year partnership. Together we have pushed ahead and brought to market many innovations and contributed to the success of the European aerospace industry. With new and efficient aircraft, such as the A320neo and the A350 XWB, we set new standards for our passengers, while reducing the impact on the environment and, not least of all, on the people living near airports.”

“On behalf of everyone at Airbus, I congratulate Lufthansa on being the A320neo launch customer. Together, we’re opening a new chapter in commercial aviation and I am confident that the A320neo will support Lufthansa objective to raise its environmental performance. The A320neo not only cuts emissions at every operational stage but also halves its noise footprint compared to previous generation aircraft,” said Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO.

“At Airbus we are have been proud to support Lufthansa’s growth over the past four decades with our partnership now spanning almost the entire Airbus family, from the A320 right up to the A380.”

“Pratt & Whitney is proud to build on its long and deep history with Lufthansa and Airbus by together marking a new era in commercial aviation with the delivery of the A320neo equipped with ultra-high bypass ratio Geared Turbofan engines,” Pratt & Whitney President Robert Leduc, said. “We applaud Lufthansa for being the first to enjoy the many benefits this aircraft and engine technology affords in terms of fuel efficiency and in reducing noise and emissions.”

This afternoon, the A320neo will take off from the Airbus facilities in Hamburg- Finkenwerder as a special flight with flight number LH9917 with guests and media representatives on board and fly with a short stop in Hamburg’s City Airport Fuhlsbüttel towards Frankfurt. The A320neo was fitted with a special logo. “First to fly A320neo – Less noise. Less fuel. Less CO2“ adorns the rear fuselage of the Lufthansa aircraft.
Another cause for celebration is the 40-year partnership between Lufthansa and Airbus. On 9 February 1976, Lufthansa received the first Airbus A300 at Hamburg-Finkenwerder. The airlines within the Lufthansa Group have ordered a total of 582 Airbus aircraft in the past 40 years. Lufthansa is the largest Airbus customer with currently 392 aircraft from the European manufacturer, including 284 aircraft from the A320 family and 14 A380.

The Lufthansa Group has ordered a total of 116 A320neos and A321neos, to be delivered in the next years. 60 aircraft will be delivered with the new PW1100G-JM engine from Pratt & Whitney. A special intermediary 3:1 gear conversion system ensures optimum speed of the 2.06 meter-cross-section fans and the turbine inside the engine. The new engines and improved aerodynamics allow a significant noise and emission reduction. With the new engine technology, the 85-decibel noise footprint of a new A320neo is only about half the size as a comparable aircraft of the existing fleet. In addition, the A320neo is at least 15 percent more fuel efficient than the previous A320 version. Calculated per-seat, this efficiency advantage increases to as much as around 20 percent, because the A320neo, through improved use of space in the cabin, allows more space in the business class compartment and two more rows with twelve additional seats on board.

Just in time for the adoption of the first A320neo, Lufthansa Technik is also ready for maintenance of the new airplane type and its systems. In the preparatory phase, Lufthansa Technik has laid out all technical, operational and personnel foundations for complete technical support of the A320neo. In the first step, employees at the Frankfurt mechanics hub were trained in Hamburg and Munich and equipped with the necessary resources. The training subsidiary of Lufthansa Technik has been certified by the Federal Aviation Authority. Currently, Lufthansa Technik has about one third of the world’s A320 fleet under exclusive component supply contracts.

• ARINC vMUSE mobile provides flexible check-in capabilities for airlines

Las Vegas, Nevada | September 9, 2015– Lufthansa passengers will be able to check-in faster at the airport due to the implementation of Rockwell Collins’ new ARINC vMUSE™ mobile passenger processing solution. Lufthansa is the first airline to implement this new technology, which gives it the ability to check-in travelers wherever and whenever needed.

ARINC vMUSE mobile is the first entirely mobile common-use passenger processing (CUPPS) compliant solution for the aviation industry. The solution enables airlines, airports and ground handlers to use a tablet-based application to launch passenger check-in service in minutes, wherever there is an internet connection.

“ARINC vMUSE mobile is ideal for airlines and their crews because it provides the same security and reliability of our traditional IATA-compliant CUPPS, but does not require any installation time, software configuration, telecommunications lines or added technical resources,” said Christopher Forrest, vice president of Global Airports for Rockwell Collins. “It is an ideal solution for queue-busting when unexpected events impact scheduled operations, or to offer an added level of service for elite passengers.”

“We want to create a positive experience for our customers while making our operations as efficient as possible,” said Gerald Prokasky, Director, Passenger Check-in & Baggage at Lufthansa. “ARINC vMUSE mobile helps us do both: it enables our agents to go where our customers are—whether to reduce lines at the airport or enable check-in at an offsite location like a hotel. And, because it does not require a significant investment in infrastructure, it is a cost effective solution for our airline.”

66 per cent of travellers would use their mobile phones inflight
Hamburg, Germany | April 10, 2014– A poll of German travellers has revealed a huge appetite for inflight mobile services including SMS, email and mobile-enabled internet access in the aircraft cabin.

Over 66 per cent of Germans surveyed said they would use their mobile phones during a flight if they had the option, mainly to stay entertained during long hours in the air.

Almost half (47 per cent) of those would use an inflight mobile connection for surfing the internet and just over a fifth (21 per cent) would check social media sites, while 58 per cent would opt for text messaging.

Almost a third (32 per cent) of people said they would use the service to make a call or check voicemail at 30,000ft.

The survey of 2,000 German consumers conducted by AeroMobile, a leading mobile phone operator for the aviation industry, reflects Germany’s increasing appetite for mobile technology.

More than half of people questioned said they expect inflight mobile connectivity to become standard in the next few years and 60 per cent believe an airline with an inflight mobile service is cutting edge.

“The results of this survey certainly reflect our experience at AeroMobile,” said Kevin Rogers, CEO of AeroMobile.

“In 2013 we saw close to an 80 per cent increase in the number of travellers using their mobile phones in the aircraft cabin and data usage on our network went up 10 fold. We also saw a 50 per cent increase in SMS traffic.”

German flag-carrier Lufthansa launched its inflight mobile phone service with AeroMobile earlier this year and has confirmed it will roll out mobile connectivity across its entire long-haul fleet of over 100 aircraft.

The AeroMobile network allows passengers to roam just as they would abroad. The company has live roaming agreements with over 250 mobile phone operators worldwide, including German networks T-Mobile, Vodafone, e-Plus and O2 Germany.

Mobile data and text messaging at 30,000ft prove a hit with Brits
Hamburg, Germany | April 9, 2014– British travellers are more likely to pick up their mobile phones inflight to send an email or browse the web than to make a call from the aircraft cabin.

More than three quarters of travellers surveyed by AeroMobile, a leading mobile phone operator for the aviation industry, said they would use mobile-enabled internet access to check emails, browse the internet or update their Facebook or Twitter status at 30,000ft.

More than half (55 per cent) would opt to send a text message and a quarter would use an instant messaging service, but fewer than a third (17 per cent) would make a call inflight.

Almost half of respondents said that inflight mobile services would help them alleviate the boredom of long hours spent in an aircraft cabin and over a third are looking to their own mobile devices to keep them entertained.

Almost half of people questioned said they expect inflight mobile connectivity to become standard in the next few years and over a third believe an airline with an inflight mobile service is cutting edge.

“The results of this survey certainly reflect our experience at AeroMobile,” said Kevin Rogers, CEO of AeroMobile.

“In 2013 we saw close to an 80 per cent increase in the number of travellers using their mobile phones in the aircraft cabin and data usage on our network went up ten-fold. We also saw a 50 per cent increase in SMS traffic.”

The AeroMobile network allows passengers to roam just as they would abroad. The company has live roaming agreements with over 250 mobile phone operators worldwide, including EE, O2, Vodafone and Three in the UK.

The service is available across eleven airlines including Virgin Atlantic, Etihad, Emirates and Lufthansa.

• Lufthansa will have the largest connected B747-8 fleet in the world

London, UK | February 6, 2014– Today, Boeing will deliver the first B747-8 to be fully line-fitted with the AeroMobile inflight mobile service. The aircraft took its delivery flight from Seattle to Frankfurt on 6 February 2014.

Europe’s largest airline, Lufthansa, will receive the landmark delivery, which will open the path for all future B747-8s to be fitted with AeroMobile connectivity. The German flag-carrier has confirmed it will roll out mobile connectivity across its entire long-haul fleet of over 100 aircraft this year.

A registered mobile service provider for the aviation industry, AeroMobile provides the mobile network for airline passengers to roam on inflight. AeroMobile has roaming agreements with more than 240 mobile phone operators worldwide, including German networks T-Mobile, Vodafone, e-Plus and O2 Germany, as well as AT&T and T-Mobile in the USA and EE, O2, Vodafone and Three in the UK.

Lufthansa has 19 B747-8s set to enter their fleet. Nine of these aircraft have already been delivered and will be retro-fitted this year. The additional deliveries will leave the Boeing facility in Seattle fully line-fit with AeroMobile connectivity. Once all of the aircraft have been delivered, Lufthansa will have the largest B747-8 fleet in the world, all with full mobile connectivity.

The aircraft, which accommodates 362 passengers and is the world’s longest passenger airliner, will be routed to destinations such as Washington, Mexico City, Hong Kong Delhi and Bangalore. As well as AeroMobile connectivity, the B747-8 will be delivered with the full Fly-Net offering of Wi-Fi and Live TV and Mobile.

Two aircraft types have now been cleared for AeroMobile line-fit at Boeing; the B777-300ER, with recipients including Thai Airways,Etihad Airways and Singapore Airlines, and the B747-8. AeroMobile also operates on B747-400 and B737 aircraft.

“It’s great news that Boeing will be rolling out AeroMobile connectivity on their B747-8 fleet and Lufthansa clearly recognises the value of offering this service alongside Wi-Fi and inflight entertainment. In fact, our research show that inflight mobile connectivity actually complements inflight Wi-fi and results in increased passenger satisfaction and additional revenue for airlines,” said Kevin Rogers, CEO of AeroMobile.

“Consumers expect to be connected 24/7 and being up in the air is no longer an exception. In 2013 we saw close to an 80 per cent increase in the number of passengers using their mobile phones in the aircraft cabin, data usage increased ten-fold and SMS traffic increased by 50 per cent.”

• German flag-carrier adds inflight mobile network to its connectivity product

London, UK | February 6, 2014– Europe’s largest airline, Lufthansa, has launched its inflight mobile phone service with AeroMobile, allowing passengers to use their own mobile devices to text and browse online at 30,000 feet via Lufthansa FlyNet.

With eight aircraft already in service, the German flag-carrier has confirmed it will roll out mobile connectivity across its entire long-haul fleet of over 100 aircraft this year.

The AeroMobile network, which allows passengers to roam just as they would abroad, is already available across selected A330s in the Lufthansa fleet, flying from Munich and Frankfurt to North America and the Middle East.

The roll out means that this year, customers flying on any of Lufthansa’s long-haul routes will be able to stay connected using their personal mobile devices inflight.

AeroMobile has roaming agreements with more than 240 mobile phone operators worldwide, including German networks T-Mobile, Vodafone, e-Plus and O2 Germany, as well as AT&T and T-Mobile in the USA and EE, O2, Vodafone and Three in the UK.

The service is simple to use; passengers simply turn on their mobile device to connect to the network, and are billed directly by their mobile operator. Prices are typically similar to ‘rest of world’ terrestrial roaming rates.

“It’s great news that Lufthansa will be rolling out AeroMobile connectivity on their entire fleet this year; we know that passengers are keen to keep their mobile phones on inflight and Lufthansa clearly recognises the value of offering this service,” said Kevin Rogers, CEO of AeroMobile.

“The service will give travellers the flexibility to use their mobile devices as much or as little as they like during a flight, whether it’s to send an SMS to a loved one, keep on top of emails or update their Facebook status,” continued Rogers.

• First twin-aisle launch in history to achieve 259 orders and commitments

• 777X will be the largest, most-efficient twin-engine jet in the world

• Emirates, Etihad Airways, Lufthansa and Qatar Airways commit to 777X

• The 777X advances the world’s most efficient, flexible twin-aisle family

Dubai, UAE | November 17, 2013/PRNewswire/–Boeing [NYSE:BA] today launched the 777X program at the 2013 Dubai Airshow with a record-breaking number of customer orders and commitments for the newest member of its twin-aisle product family. Agreements for 259 airplanes from four customers across Europe and the Middle East provide a strong foundation to support development and production of the airplane.

Representing the largest product launch in commercial jetliner history by dollar value, 777X orders and commitments include Lufthansa with 34 airplanes; Etihad Airways with 25; Qatar Airways with 50 and Emirates with 150 airplanes. The combined value of the agreements is more than $95 billion at list prices.

“We are proud to partner with each of these esteemed airlines to launch the 777X – the largest and most-efficient twin-engine jetliner in the world,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Ray Conner. “Its ground-breaking engine technologies and all-new composite wing will deliver unsurpassed value and growth potential to our customers.”

The 777X builds on the passenger-preferred and market-leading 777, which today commands 55 percent of market share in its category in terms of backlog, and 71 percent of the in-service fleet worldwide. The 777X family includes the 777-8X and the 777-9X, both designed to respond to market needs and customer preferences.

The 777X builds on the best-in-class dispatch reliability from today’s 777, as well as offering more market coverage and revenue capability that surpasses the competition. The 777-8X competes directly with the A350-1000, while the 777-9X is in a class by itself.

Opening new growth opportunities for airlines, the 777-9X offers seating for more than 400 passengers, depending on an airline’s configuration choices. With a range of more than 8,200 nautical miles (15,185 km), the airplane will have the lowest operating cost per seat of any commercial airplane.
The second member of the family, the 777-8X, will be the most flexible jet in the world. The airplane will seat 350 passengers and offer an incredible range capability of more than 9,300 nautical miles (17,220 km). In addition, the airplane will have unmatched takeoff and payload capability compared to the competition.

“The airplane will build on the market-leading 777 and will provide superior operating economics,” said Conner. “The airplane will be 12 percent more fuel efficient than any competing airplane, necessary in today’s competitive environment.”

The 777X introduces the latest technologies in multiple places, including the most advanced commercial engine ever – the GE9X by GE Aviation – and an all-new high-efficiency composite wing that has a longer span than today’s 777. The airplane’s folding, raked wingtip and optimized span deliver greater efficiency, significant fuel savings and complete airport gate compatibility.

Like the 787 Dreamliner which was launched as the 7E7, the 777X will be formally named at a later date. Design of the 777X is underway and suppliers will be named in the coming months. Production is set to begin in 2017, with first delivery targeted for 2020.

– Largest Airbus airline customer and operator in Europe

France | June 17, 2013– The Lufthansa Group has firmed up a previous Supervisory Board decision from March this year and signed for 100 A320 Family aircraft (35 A320neo, 35 A321neo and 30 A320ceo with Sharklets) at the Paris International Airshow in Le Bourget, France.

The Lufthansa Group has been operating the A320 Family since October 1989. They were the launching customer for the A321 and belonged to the first operators of the A319 and A320. The new order confirms Lufthansa’s leading position as the largest Airbus airline customer and operator in Europe, increasing its order for the A320 type to 299. Over 150 of these aircraft have already been delivered.

“These modern and fuel-efficient aircraft will meet the future growth and fleet renewal needs of the Lufthansa Group airlines. By purchasing these aircraft, we will be able in the long term to offer customers a comfortable and modern product in the highly competitive environment. In addition, these aircraft are contributing significantly to reduce noise and emissions wherever we fly our aircraft to”, said Nico Buchholz, Executive Vice President, Lufthansa Group Fleet Management.

“Lufthansa is a loyal customer, and has been operating our aircraft for almost 40 years. We are extremely pleased to receive this repeat order and thank our prestigious customer for their continuing strong commitment to our eco-efficient products. The A320 Family represents the highest level of operational performance while also offering Lufthansa passengers superior level of comfort and services,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers.

The A320neo Family has captured some 60 percent of the single aisle market in just over two years since it was launched, clearly demonstrating its market leadership. Incorporating new engines and Sharklets these new aircraft are set to deliver fuel savings of 15 percent. In addition, the A320neo Family will provide a double-digit reduction in NOx emissions and reduced engine noise. The A320neo will enter into service from late 2015, followed by the A319neo and A321neo in 2016. The A320 Family is the world’s best-selling and most modern single aisle aircraft family. To date, nearly 9,500 aircraft have been ordered and close to 5,600 delivered to more than 380 customers and operators worldwide.

· 100 A320 Family aircraft and two additional A380s

· Third A380 order from the German flag carrier

Blagnac Cedex, France | March 14, 2013– The Lufthansa’s Supervisory Board has approved the acquisition of 100 A320 Family aircraft (35 A320neo, 35 A321neo and 30 A320ceo with Sharklets) and two A380s worth approximately US$ 11.2 billion at list prices. The engine choices will be announced by the airline at a later date.

This latest acquisition reconfirms the Lufthansa Group as Airbus’ largest airline customer, with a total of 532 aircraft ordered. Today the Lufthansa Group is also Airbus’ biggest operator worldwide with 385 Airbus aircraft currently in service. These include: 271 A320 Family, 41 A330s, 63 A340s, and 10 A380s.

‘’The A380 fulfills all our expectations, it’s a very reliable aircraft and our passengers’ feedback is excellent,” said Nico Buchholz, Executive Vice President, Lufthansa Group Fleet Management. “We are delighted to add again two more A380s to our fleet and together with the 100 new A320 Family aircraft these new jets will contribute to cutting our operational costs significantly while reducing our environmental footprint and offering our passengers a benchmark travel comfort thanks to the widest cabins in their respective fleet category.”

“We thank Lufthansa for their continuing strong confidence in our market leading aircraft,“ said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “This third A380 order is a clear sign that the aircraft is working well for our prestigious customer Lufthansa. I am equally pleased, that with this order we are getting close to 2,000 NEO orders in just over two years, proving this jet is clearly the single aisle aircraft of choice.”

The A320neo and A320ceo Family aircraft will be used for Lufthansa Groups’ network development and fleet modernisation. While the CEO with Sharklets will deliver a four per cent fuel burn reduction, the NEO will contribute to cutting Lufthansa’s fuel burn by another 15 per cent. On top the A380 demonstrates a 12 per cent fuel burn reduction compared to its nearest competitor.

Over 36 million passengers have already enjoyed the unique experience of flying on board one of the 1oo A380 delivered so far. With 140 flights per day to date, the entire fleet has accumulated by now 100,000 revenue flights and 850,000 flight hours.

The A320 Family is the world’s best-selling and most modern single aisle aircraft Family. Today more than 9,150 aircraft have been ordered and over 5,450 delivered to more than 385 customers and operators worldwide.

Following today’s announcement (Monday, October 12) of Lufthansa’s adoption of AeroMobile’s in-flight mobile phone technology, AeroMobile chief executive Bjorn-Taale Sandberg said:

“This is an industry transformational deal spelling out that major airlines are recognising the need to keep their passengers connected with broadband and cellular connectivity, covering mobile phones and Blackberries.

“As the only in-flight cellular provider operating commercially in the wide-body market today we clearly recognise the demands of the long haul business traveller – this commitment reaffirms AeroMobile’s position as the industry leader.

“AeroMobile is unique in providing airlines with flexibility and a future-proofed connectivity vision. We have customer commitments from airlines operating Inmarsat Classic Aero, Swift64, SwiftBroadband and now Ku band. Lufthansa’s commitment to Panasonic’s multi megabyte Ku band solution, eXConnect, will allow AeroMobile to deliver a much richer user experience, provide more comprehensive value-added cellular services and a growth path to 3G.”

AeroMobile, which was the first company to offer in-flight mobile phone services in full commercial service when it launched with Emirates in March 2008, is currently installed on over 50 wide-bodied aircraft across six aircraft types with Emirates and Malaysian Airlines. This figure will rise into three figures in 2010 as AeroMobile’s equipment is installed across with its customer base of primarily long haul flag-carriers.

The Lufthansa announcement, which sees AeroMobile’s equipment installed through Panasonic’s eXPhone system, means AeroMobile now has commitments spanning all wide-bodied aircraft variants including B747 and A380.

Mr Sandberg added: “Having taken in-flight connectivity to the next level with Panasonic back in 2007 when we carried out the world’s first commercial trail with Qantas, we’re delighted to be associated in another step-change in the airline industry’s connectivity story.

“This new development with Ku-band recognises the huge potential growth in mobile technology, which we are already seeing on a day-to-day basis with products like the iPhone. Soon the ability to use this technology will be second nature in the air as well.”

Frankfurt, Germany – October 12, 2009 – Today, Lufthansa announced the return of in-flight passenger connectivity with the re-launch of their FlyNet branded broadband internet service. FlyNet will utilize the Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic) Global Communications Suite. Lufthansa aims to equip a major part of its long-range fleet with FlyNet within the first year of operation.

The Panasonic Global Communications Suite consists of the eXConnect broadband service, the eXPhone GSM service, and the Panasonic Airborne Television Network.

Panasonic’s eXConnect is designed to provide global, two-way broadband connectivity to support a wide range of passenger and crew applications, including Internet access, voice, data, and the ability to monitor and transmit airline operational data in real time at speeds of up to 50 Mbps to the aircraft.

The eXPhone solution allows passengers to use their mobile (cell) phones to make voice calls, send SMS text messages, or utilize data services in-flight, virtually anywhere in the world. The eXPhone system is designed to be flexible, giving the airline full control over the services offered with the ability to restrict certain services when appropriate.

The Panasonic Airborne Television Network is a revolutionary approach to live, in-flight television. This proprietary, dedicated network is provided by Panasonic to offer a global, synchronized viewing experience with live news, sports, financial and special events to airline passengers. Panasonic has established licensing relationships directly with top content providers to provide the programming for the service.

Panasonic has assembled and integrated a world class team of technology and service providers to collectively deliver the Global Communications Suite.

The eXPhone system and service are provided in conjunction with AeroMobile, the award-winning provider of in-flight mobile communication services and technology.

MTN Satellite Communications is the leading global service provider of at-sea communications, connectivity and content services and will provide the Ku band satellite network services for Panasonic’s Global Communications Service business. More details about the satellite network will be provided in the coming weeks.

Panasonic has contracted with EMS Technologies’ Defense & Space Division, to provide the advanced dual-panel, satellite-tracking antenna, developed collaboratively by Panasonic and EMS. This unique design delivers greater performance and global coverage, especially at lower latitudes such as near the equator. The antenna’s dual polarization receive capability, unique to the EMS Technologies antenna system, doubles the available receive bandwidth.

Panasonic licenses iDirect’s state of the art satellite IP router technology as a core component of the Panasonic eXConnect in-flight satellite transmission platform. iDirect is a world leader in satellite-based IP communications technology. iDirect’s innovative spread spectrum waveform diffuses the transmission of satellite bandwidth while maintaining a high data rate, which dramatically conserves satellite space segment and lowers bandwidth costs for airlines.

In November of this year, Panasonic is installing their eXConnect system on a private Boeing Business Jet (Boeing 737) to conduct the initial flight tests. Additional information on this aircraft and customer will be announced in Orlando, Florida at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Annual Conference October 20, 2009.

“We are thrilled to be working with Lufthansa as our launch customer of the eXConnect broadband service.” states Paul Margis, Chief Executive Officer. “Panasonic had already assembled the best of class suppliers to provide the full range of services in the Panasonic Global Communications Suite – and now, in Lufthansa, we have the perfect launch customer to match.”

East Meadow, NY, Oct. 12, 2009 — In mid-2010, when Lufthansa reintroduces FlyNet, its satellite-based Internet on-board service, the airline’s customers will once again be able to communicate above the clouds via broadband Internet. In addition to the wireless Internet access, the newly improved service will permit inflight data transfer over standard GSM/GPRS mobile networks. This will enable Lufthansa passengers in the future to also send text messages by mobile phone and transfer data via smartphones such as PDA, iPhone or BlackBerry devices. Together with its new business partner, Panasonic, Lufthansa plans to equip a major part of its long-range fleet with FlyNet within the first year of operation.

An innovator in inflight Internet service, Lufthansa’s FlyNet relaunch will again position the airline as a world leader in on-board connectivity and as one of the only carriers to offer a broadband service on inter-continental routes. “In terms of personal communications, Lufthansa customers can look forward to superior inflight service,” said Lufthansa CEO and Chairman Wolfgang Mayrhuber. “On long-haul routes, we offer business travellers, in particular, a range of communication options on par with those available at land-based hotspots or premium hotels.” FlyNet thus rounds out the communications services available to Lufthansa passengers throughout the entire travel chain.

“We are thrilled to be working with Lufthansa as the launch customer for Panasonic’s new broadband service, exConnect,” said Paul Margis, CEO of Panasonic Avionics Corporation. “Lufthansa’s previous experience with passenger connectivity makes them the ideal launch customer for the eXConnect service. Lufthansa was a true pioneer with their FlyNet branded service. We are proud to bring FlyNet back to their passengers.”

Lufthansa is focusing on providing high bandwidth, which is essential for unrestricted web surfing, email/file transfer including attachments, and the use of a Virtual Private Network (VPN). In addition, this quality bandwidth will enhance the possibility of additional operational applications such as telemedicine, in which a patient’s vitals can be quickly transmitted to a ground station.

FlyNet is impressively user-friendly. Passengers with a Wifi or GSM/GPRS-compatible device can log on from any point in the aircraft cabin. Depending on the device they are using (i.e. a laptop or a smartphone), passengers can choose to be billed via a mobile service provider or pay by credit card. Various price models are planned – ranging from a one-hour flat rate to a monthly flat rate. Passengers should also be able to redeem award miles for use of the Wifi Internet connections. The exact price for specific products will be announced at a later date.

With this new service, Lufthansa is building on its positive experience with Lufthansa FlyNet. On January 15, 2003, the world’s first scheduled flight providing broadband Internet access on-board took off via a Lufthansa commercial flight. From May 2004 until the end of 2006, when the service was then withdrawn by Lufthansa’s former partner Connexion by Boeing, broadband wireless Internet connectivity gained in popularity and the technology proved highly reliable. By that time 69 of Lufthansa’s long-range aircraft were equipped with FlyNet, making the Lufthansa fleet the largest Internet-enabled fleet in the world, with about 30,000 users per month.