Aviation

Lufthansa City Airlines Reveals Its First Destinations

Lufthansa City Airlines, the newest airline in the Lufthansa Group, is scheduled to launch in the summer of 2024; the carrier’s destinations have now been announced.

Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Hanover, Birmingham, Bordeaux, and Manchester will be among the first cities the airline serves from Munich. Lufthansa City Airlines will be adding more destinations across Europe and progressively growing its network over the next months.

The Lufthansa Group has sent a strong signal for the future of the new airline by placing an order for 40 Airbus A220-300 aircraft and an additional 20 buy options. To maintain the competitive edge in the market and support the intended expansion of Lufthansa’s long-haul routes, the short-haul network must be made more competitive.

For short- and medium-haul routes, passengers flying on Lufthansa City Airlines can anticipate the same Lufthansa product offering and customer experience. The new Lufthansa City livery has already been applied to the first two of the four Airbus A319 aircraft that will be deployed this year. Beginning at the end of April, tickets will be sold through the well-known Lufthansa Group channels.

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Aviation

Airbus Enhances A350 Cabin with 10-Abreast Seating

Airbus has announced a new partnership with Jiatai Aircraft Equipment, a Chinese aircraft seating manufacturer, to supply upgraded economy-class seats for the A350 widebody series.

This collaboration, unveiled at the 2024 Airshow China, focuses on developing a newly designed economy seat tailored for the A350‘s New Production Standard (NPS) cabin.

One of the key features of the NPS cabin is the ability to accommodate 17-inch wide economy seats, compared to the previous 16.5-inch wide seats that airlines were limited to in the A350’s earlier configurations.

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This change is made possible by the expanded space in the NPS cabin, which is 35 inches longer and 4 inches wider than the previous version. This extra space is achieved by slightly moving the cockpit wall forward and shifting the rear pressure bulkhead back by one frame.

The wider cabin allows airlines to add up to 30 extra economy seats without compromising comfort. For airlines opting for a 3-4-3 seating layout, the 17-inch wide seats are an excellent choice for a more comfortable passenger experience. However, some airlines, such as Iberia, may choose to retain a 9-abreast layout with wider seats for added comfort.

The NPS cabin also offers enhanced flexibility for airline operators. One major advantage is the ability to easily switch between a 9-abreast and 10-abreast seating configuration without requiring significant downtime for aircraft reconfiguration. Airlines can use the same seat rails, tracks, and IFE interfaces, making the transition smoother and quicker.

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In addition, the design of the floor attachments and air-conditioning systems has been optimized for 10-abreast seating, meaning airlines can upgrade their cabins without needing to make substantial modifications to the aircraft’s structure.

Though it’s still unclear when Jiatai’s economy-class seats will be officially added to the A350’s Buyer Furnished Equipment (BFE) catalogue, the collaboration marks a significant step toward enhancing the A350’s cabin offerings.

With this partnership, Airbus is providing more seating options for airlines, ensuring that they can meet diverse customer needs while improving overall operational efficiency.