Lufthansa City Airlines' first new A320neo makes maiden flight
The first A320neo manufactured for Lufthansa City Airlines completed its maiden flight on Wednesday, March 19, from Airbus’ Hamburg facility.
The aircraft, MSN 12450, was in the air for approximately 3 hours and 20 minutes, reaching a maximum altitude of 39,000 feet over Germany.
The jet, which will be registered D-AIJP, will be configured with 180 single-class seats and is scheduled for delivery to the airline in April.
Launched last year as a low-cost feeder to Lufthansa, City Airlines debuted with older A319 jets that had been passed on from other subsidiaries.
Three very new A320neos have also been transferred from Lufthansa to the new carrier, so D-AIJP is being celebrated as the first aircraft built exclusively for City Airlines.
City Airlines currently flies from its Munich hub to domestic destinations as well as to Birmingham, Manchester in the UK, Dublin in Ireland and Timișoara in Romania.
The German group’s plans, however, are to expand Lufthansa City Airlines’ operations so that it can serve as an alternative to low-cost competitors such as Easyjet and Ryanair, among others.
The fleet is expected to grow significantly when the first A220-300s are delivered next year. Lufthansa ordered 40 of these aircraft in December 2023, which will have 148 seats.
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