Austrian quits ‘unsustainable’ Dubai

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Dubai is a hot destination for many airlines, but not so for Austrian Airlines. Not anymore.

The Lufthansa subsidiary announced Monday it will stop offering direct flights from Vienna to Dubai as of September in the wake of intense competition and price wars.

“Unfortunately, the Vienna-Dubai route has become unsustainable for us,” said CCO Andreas Otto.

Austrian, which began flying to Dubai in 1996, said up to 800 seats per day were on offer on the Vienna-Dubai route.

The last Austrian flight to Dubai will be on Sept. 13, returning home next day.

“The capacities which will become available will be deployed for attractive, new destinations, such as Miami, Mauritius and Colombo starting in October,” Otto said.

The image is courtesy of Austrian Airlines.

Boeing 747 makes widebody history

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The 747-8 Intercontinental during a test flight.

The Boeing 747 has become the first widebody airplane to reach the 1,500-delivery milestone, the U.S. aircraft manufacturer said today .

The 747-8 Intercontinental was delivered to Lufthansa at a ceremony in Everett, Wash.  A special logo commemorating the 1,500th airplane was also revealed at the event.

“Reaching this milestone delivery is a testament to the capabilities of the airplane and our commitment to continuous innovation,” said Eric Lindblad, vice-president at Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

“The new 747-8 is delivering on its promise to our customers, and we continue to look at ways to make it even more efficient in the future.”

The German airline was the launch customer of the Intercontinental and the new airplane is its 14^th.  Lufthansa took delivery of its first 747-8 in 2012 and has 19 Intercontinentals on order.

“Lufthansa is honoured that the 1,500th 747 will fly with the Lufthansa livery,” said Nico Buchholz, executive vice-president at Lufthansa Group Fleet Management.

“Lufthansa is an important partner and a valued adviser in developing new commercial airplanes with exceptional economical and ecological performance such as the 747-8,” he added.

“The commemorative logo will be a reminder of our relationship with Boeing, now and into the future.”

The image is courtesy of Boeing.

 

Lufthansa gets its 75th Boeing 747

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The new Lufthansa 747-8. Boeing photo.

Lufthansa has taken delivery of its 75th Boeing 747, 44 years after the German arline received its first Jumbo Jet.

The launch customer of the Boeing 747-8, the airplane delivered on Wednesday was the arline’s 13th. Six more 747s are on order.

“Lufthansa is proud to share this milestone with Boeing,” said Nico Buchholz, executive vice- president of Lufthansa Group Fleet Management.

“The 747 is an amazing airplane and will continue to delight our passengers for many years to come, and provide them with the ultimate in comfort and efficiency.”

Lufthansa received its first 747-8 two years ago and its first Jumbo Jet,  a 747-100, in 1970, a year after the wide-body airplane’s maiden flight.

As of this spring, nearly 1,500 747s are in service around the world.

The 747-8 is the newest member of the family. It has won 120 orders for passenger and cargo versions, 68 of which have been delivered, Boeing said on Friday.