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Passengers bemoan Space-Flex crunch on Lufthansa’s new A320neo

Reaction to the new Lufthansa A320neo layout, including two more rows of seats and the Space-Flex v2 galley/lav combo, has been impressively loud and negative. While the forward half of the plane offers a smidgen more space for business class passengers, the back of the fuselage – where the SpaceFlex kit makes its mark – sees the opposite effect. Reduced pitch, limited overhead bin spa...

Germanwings crash: Pilot confidentiality 'should be relaxed'

French investigators have called for medical confidentiality to be relaxed for pilots, in the wake of last year's Germanwings disaster. Co-pilot Andreas Lubitz was urged by a doctor to attend psychiatric hospital weeks before he crashed the plane on 24 March 2015, but his employer was never alerted, their final report says.  All 150 people on board died as Flight 9525 hit a mountain...

Lufthansa’s Low-Cost Carrier, Although Profitable, Still Struggles

Deutsche Lufthansa AG is pushing to keep its low-cost Eurowings unit profitable even after delays in ramping up long-haul services added costs to the German carrier’s effort to respond to the likes of Ryanair Holdings Plc. Lower fuel costs and planes filling up better than planned have helped offset the impacts from the delays and a drop in travel demand following terror attacks in Paris,...

Berlin's new airport potentially hit by yet another delay

Berlin's perennial airport headache may continue even longer. It emerged this week that the 2017 opening date for the city's new Berlin Brandenburg Airport - the fifth set since 2010 - may be in trouble. The local "Tagesspiegel" newspaper reported Thursday that the city's construction authority has demanded additional changes to an ongoing planning permit process for the s...

Lufthansa Technik: APU services for Taiwan based low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan

Lufthansa Technik AG has further extended its market presence in Taiwan by entering into a new long-term agreement with Taiwan-based low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan. According to the new contract, the Hamburg-based maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) provider is now responsible for providing maintenance services including LRU (line-replaceable unit) services for t...

Hamburg Tries to Own the Future of Aviation With New Research Center

The city of Hamburg has invested $110 million to establish a new science centre dedicated to the study of future aviation technologies which will improve the air travel experience. The ZAL Centre of Applied Aeronautical Research will house up to 600 specialists in fields of research such as fuel cells, aircraft cabin technology, 3D printing, Internet of Things (IoT), acoustics, and virtual real...

Clean Sky: MTU Aero Engines and partners develop new propulsion technologies

Clean Sky is the largest aviation technology research initiative ever launched by the European Commission. Under the effort, over 600 partners have joined forces to develop new technologies to further improve the environmental compatibility of aviation in the future. MTU Aero Engines, Germany’s leading engine manufacturer, also has a role in the project. “Our work doesn&rsquo...

Inside Lufthansa's new Airbus A350

Lufthansa will begin flying the new Airbus A350 by the end of 2016 with the first 10 jets in its 25-strong order to be based in Munich. Boston and Delhi will be among the first destinations for the next-gen jetliner, which will replace the German flag-carrier's older gas-guzzling Airbus A340s, with Hong Kong and Beijing expected to follow. Lufthansa is adopting a fairly conventional thre...

Lufthansa begins new Frankfurt-Panama City service

Lufthansa commenced its new non-stop service between Frankfurt and Panama City yesterday. Flight LH 484 departed from Frankfurt (FRA) at 10:15 local time, and is scheduled to arrive at the Aeropuerto Internacional de Tocumen in Panama City (PTY) at 16:40 local time March 2, 2016. Eastbound flight LH 485 will leave Panama City at 18:45 local time this evening, and is due to land in Frankfurt at 11:...

Drunken British stag party kicked off Ryanair flight in Berlin

London-to-Bratislava flight is forced to land in Germany to expel passengers for their aggressive behaviour. A pilot was forced to land his plane in Berlin when members of a British stag party reportedly became aggreesive after they were refused more alcohol. The latest disruption comes amid a sharp rise in alcohol-fuelled incidents in the air, prompting some airlines to launch a crackdown o...

Rejuvenating the flagship of the Lufthansa fleet

Lufthansa’s first Airbus A380, the “Frankfurt am Main” with tailsign D-AIMA, recently completed a major overhaul involving 90,000 working hours and a two-month layover. Encompassing two passenger decks and a total of 509 seats in four classes, D-AIMA underwent its Intermediate Layover or “IL-check” at Lufthansa Technik Philippines. The aircraf...

328 Design awarded supplemental type certification for Falcon 50EX upgrade

German certification company 328 Design (328DO), has secured supplemental type certification (STC) for a Dassault Falcon 50EX cabin upgrade. The STC is the first to be issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration under the FAA/EASA bilateral agreement and was awarded on the back of an extensive refurbishment project on a privately-owned, 2001-build 50EX “This project was driven by the...