Lufthansa Shows Off Its 1st Boeing 787
Like many airlines around the world, Lufthansa, too, is waiting to get its new Dreamliners. With no certainty over when these will be delivered, every progress, no matter how small or routine, generates excitement from the industry and av geeks alike. The latest in the series of the carrier's Dreamliner tales is that its first 787 has received a complete paint job, allowing us a glimpse of what it looks like.
Fresh coat
Lufthansa's hotly anticipated Dreamliner debut may take some time, but updates about its 787 aircraft keep everyone excited. While hawk-eyed av geeks had already spotted the jet in the carrier's livery a few days ago in Seattle, Lufthansa officially tweeted a close-up image of the aircraft with a finished paint job yesterday.
The new 787, along with some Airbus A350 airplanes in Lufthansa's fleet, are also expected to feature the carrier's much-talked-about new business class product. Originally meat to debut with the airline's Boeing 777-9 airplanes, Lufthansa had hoped to launch it with the 787 last December, but delays with the aircraft's certification pushed those plans back further.
What a beauty! 🤩
— Lufthansa News (@lufthansaNews) May 19, 2022
Have a look at our first entirely painted @Boeing 787! Doesn’t it look good painted in our Lufthansa livery? 💙 #WeAreLufthansa #Boeing787 #Dreamliner pic.twitter.com/jCRC8PJ8KN
More to come
Like many airlines worldwide, Lufthansa, too, wants to move toward the new generation of fuel-efficient twin-engine jets. It relies pretty heavily on its 18 active A350-900 airplanes, with more than 25 on order as per ch-aviation.
The 787s will also become a part of the carrier's next-generation fleet. And while Lufthansa is yet to fly its first Dreamliner, its appetite for the type has actually gone up over the years. In 2019, the airline group placed an order for 20 787s and added another five to the list in 2021. Earlier this month, it ordered another seven 787s, bringing the total to 32.
When will they fly?
Boeing has not pushed out any new 787 since May 2021, affecting the deliveries of some of its key customers, including American Airlines. Adding another layer of complexity to the saga, the FAA reportedly identified a number of omissions in the documentation submitted by Boeing (required to resume deliveries of the 787) and sent parts of it back to the planemaker.
The aircraft manufacturer has received significant backlash in the last few years owing to the problems with its 737 MAX series and the delays with its 787 and 777X programs. As such, it must have felt good when Lufthansa's CEO, Carsten Spohr, reportedly voiced his support for the company, saying that he "believed in Boeing" and that "Boeing as a symbol of America will get back to its feet."
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