Airlines

Lufthansa receives its 600th Airbus aircraft, with a special livery

On February 9, 1976, Lufthansa received its first Airbus A300B2, laying the groundwork for a long-lasting collaboration in European civil aviation that has now lasted almost 50 years. Today saw the 600th such Airbus aircraft, an Airbus A321neo, being delivered to Lufthansa in a solemn ceremony at Airbus’s Hamburg-Finkenwerder location. Since then, more than ten different Airbus aircraft types have been given to nearly every air operator in the Lufthansa Group.

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Lufthansa has also served as launching customer for a new Airbus type on four occasions to date: for the A310, the A340, the A220 and – in 2016 –A320neo. Not only the Airbus A320 family is a cornerstone of today’s Lufthansa fleet: the A350-900, which first arrived in 2016, has also become a key component in the Lufthansa long-haul fleet, and the Lufthansa Group is the world’s third-biggest A350 customer.

600th Airbus named ‘Münster’

The 600th Airbus aircraft to be delivered to Lufthansa, which bears the registration D-AIEQ, is an Airbus A321neo. Seating 215 passengers, the A321neo is a state-of-the-art and fuel-efficient short- and medium-haul twinjet that has been in Lufthansa service since 2019. D-AIEQ has been named ‘Münster’ after the German city.

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Airbus and Lufthansa are connected by a very unique partnership. They have worked closely and trustingly together on a variety of research projects and cutting-edge advances ever since Airbus was founded. Additionally, Lufthansa has served as Airbus’s debut customer no less than four times, most recently with the A320neo series of aircraft that is having such great success. Every family of aircraft that Airbus has created over the past 50 years has been ordered by Lufthansa. And more than 90% of the 600 Airbuses it received during that time are still in use by the Lufthansa Group today.

Airlines

Federal Court Imposes $100M Fine on Qantas for “Ghost Flights” Scandal

In a major ruling, the Federal Court has confirmed a hefty A$100 million penalty against Qantas for its involvement in the “ghost flights” scandal. As reported by FlightGlobal.

The court found that Qantas misled consumers by offering and selling tickets for flights that the airline had already decided to cancel. Adding to the controversy, Qantas failed to promptly notify ticket holders about these cancellations.

The penalty follows Qantas’ admission of violating the Australian Consumer Law (ACL). The airline agreed with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) on the penalty amount, aiming to deter Qantas and other businesses from similar breaches in the future.

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The ACCC emphasized that this substantial fine sends a clear message: misleading customers will lead to serious consequences, regardless of a company’s size. In addition to the penalty, Qantas has committed to paying approximately A$20 million to affected passengers who unknowingly purchased tickets for canceled flights.

This compensation comes on top of any refunds or alternative flight arrangements already provided. ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb praised the penalty, underscoring the importance of robust compliance programs red energy qantas in large corporations like Qantas.

She pointed out that Qantas has since made changes to its operating and scheduling procedures to prevent similar issues in the future.