Lufthansa Technik has formally handed over the second Airbus A350-900 government aircraft to the German Armed Forces. The aircraft, bearing the tactical registration 10+01, will soon join the fleet of the Federal Ministry of Defence’s (BMVg) Special Air Mission Wing for long-haul political-parliamentary flight operations. It is equipped for the first time with a full government cabin.
The Airbus A350 christened on November 16, arrived factory-fresh at Lufthansa Technik at the end of March 2021 and has since undergone an extensive modification programme at the company’s competence centre for Special Aircraft Services in Hamburg. The main focus was on the fitting of the full government cabin, which differs significantly from the transitional cabin of the 10+03 “Kurt Schumacher”, the first VIP and government aircraft based on an Airbus A350, which was already delivered in 2020.
In contrast to the latter’s open cabin design, the various functional areas for political-parliamentary flight operations are now structurally separated from one another, as was already the case with its two predecessors based on the Airbus A340. The remaining space in the cabin is available for the delegations traveling with the aircraft. It features seating with generous spacing, an appropriate number of washrooms and modern galley equipment.
