A new Airbus A350-900 equipped to carry VIP passengers has been delivered to the German Air Force.
Despite being the second A350 transferred to the Luftwaffe, its tail number will be “10+01”, indicating that it will be the flagship for the service.
It has also been named Konrad Adenauer in honor of the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.
“This great honor is also reflected in the new government cabin we installed, which sets new standards with state-of-the-art technology and high functionality as well as cost efficiency,” CEO of Lufthansa Technik Soeren Stark is quoted as saying in the company’s press release.
Lufthansa Technik converted the aircraft, refitting its cabin to include several separated sections as well as conducting additional modifications appropriate for a governmental jet.
The ceremonial handover was conducted on November 16, 2022, marking the jet’s transfer to the German Ministry of Defence’s Special Air Mission Wing.
The first of the Luftwaffe’s A350s, no. 10+03 “Kurt Schumacher”, was transferred to the service in August 2020. According to Lufthansa Technik, it is also going to be fitted with the same cabin as the 10+01.
The 10+02 “Theodor Heuss” is currently undergoing conversion and will be handed over to the Air Force shortly, the press release explained.
Germany ordered three Airbus A350 wide-body twinjets in 2019. The full cost of the project was reported to be €1.2 billion, with €288 million covering the cost of the cabin refurbishments and €229 million used for various defensive systems to be installed on the aircraft.
The order was made after Germany’s previous fleet of ageing governmental jets suffered from several technical issues that led to serious mishaps.