Lufthansa Technik (LHT) has handed over the third and final Airbus A350 government aircraft to the German Federal Ministry of Defence's (BMVg) Special Air Mission Wing. The ceremonial event took place at the ILA Berlin, where Secretary of State for Defence Nils Hilmer officially commissioned the aircraft, designated 10+03, into service.
This milestone marks the completion of the largest modernisation programme in the history of the Special Air Mission Wing, which involved four cabin modifications across three aircraft. Lufthansa Technik successfully delivered all aircraft on schedule and within budget.
Soeren Stark, Chief Executive Officer of Lufthansa Technik AG, remarked, “The largest modernisation programme in the history of the Special Air Mission Wing can justifiably be called a Herculean task. Four cabin refurbishments for a total of three wide-body jets over a period of just four years and some of them were still heavily influenced by the pandemic. I am all the more proud of our team, which mastered this task with flying colours, and completely within the estimated cost and time frame. I take my hat off to this achievement and thank everyone who was involved.”
The initial delivery of 10+03 occurred shortly after the political decision to replace the German Air Force's two long-serving Airbus A340s with three brand-new A350s for long-haul political and parliamentary air transport. Due to the urgent need, Lufthansa Technik initially fitted 10+03 with an interim cabin, handing it over to the then Minister of Defence in August 2020. Subsequent A350 deliveries with full government cabins were completed in November 2022 and March 2023, with aircraft 10+01 “Konrad Adenauer” and 10+02 “Theodor Heuss” respectively. Aircraft 10+03 “Kurt Schumacher” returned to Lufthansa Technik's Hamburg VIP Completion Centre for final cabin fittings until recently.
Initially, 10+03 retained the older colour scheme of the “white fleet,” featuring a serif font on the fuselage and narrow black-red-gold accents on the wingtips. However, for today's handover, the aircraft's livery was updated to match the modern appearance of its sister aircraft. This included new “Bundes Sans” font lettering and wingtips now fully painted in the colours of the German flag.
This completion signifies the successful end of a significant modernisation effort, ensuring the German Air Force's fleet is equipped with state-of-the-art aircraft for its special air missions.
