According to the currently valid winter timetable, LH 526 requires 14 hours and ten minutes to cover the…
According to the currently valid winter timetable, LH 526 requires 14 hours and ten minutes to cover the 13,207 kilometres between Frankfurt and Buenos Aires. On the longest route in Lufthansa`s worldwide route network, the customers will experience a double premiere with the Airbus A340-600 on Monday (15th December). The brand-new aircraft with the registration D-AIHB is due to rise into the night skies at 21.45 hours. In addition, the cabin aboard `Hotel Bravo` as it is referred to in flyers` jargon, will for the first time have a new Business Class.
The longest bed of its class, the completely new seat concept as well as the unique entertainment and information programme make innovation and quality directly perceivable for the passengers. `With the Airbus A340-600 and the new Business Class we offer optimal comfort, more room, more quiet and an excellent service. A wide-awake concept to arrive at the destination refreshed after a good sleep. Business travellers, in particular will appreciate this`, said Wolfgang Mayrhuber, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO, Deutsche Lufthansa AG.
The A340-600 measures 75.30 metres and is thus the longest passenger aircraft of the world. Compared with the Boeing 747-400 that is four, in comparison to the A340-300 almost ten metres more. Lufthansa provides 66 Business and 279 Economy-Class seats on board. The Economy Class has also been equipped with ergonomically improved seats. The airline has ordered a total of ten of the long-range aircraft. As an innovation in the industry, Lufthansa is using part of the lower deck for the first time for five wash-rooms and a kitchen, as a result of which the journey will be even more pleasant and comfortable for the passengers.
The environmental-friendliness also shines with new peak values. The A340-600 uses merely 3.6 litres of fuel for 100 kilometres per passenger. That is around 16 percent less than the Boeing 747-200 which was phased out of the Lufthansa passenger fleet at the beginning of the year. Thanks to most modern engine technology from Rolls-Royce and the further developed aerodynamics of the wing, the latest member of the fleet is also noticeably quieter. Whereas the 85-dBA noise footprint of the Boeing 747-200 covered 14.5 square kilometres, the A340 600 reduces this figure to a mere 3.5 square kilometres.
Before the first operational flight of the aircraft with the name Bremerhaven, which was only delivered on 25th November in Toulouse, several procedures remained to be completed. For example, a total of 28 flying instructors underwent flight training in Leipzig and at Baden Airport (Karlsruhe). They are now passing on their experiences with `Hotel Bravo` on the South American route to their colleagues in the cockpit. All A340 pilots have previously familiarized themselves with the special features of the new production series in the simulator.
Several Lufthansa captains already had the special opportunity in April 2002 to pilot the Airbus A340-600 on the route from Frankfurt to San Francisco or Singapore. Lufthansa was one of the only two airlines which, in cooperation with Airbus, had the opportunity to subject the model to a thorough check under realistic scheduled conditions within the scope of the so-called Route-Proving process.
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