BERLIN, GERMANY — German flag carrier Lufthansa has a new flying ambassador. The first Boeing 787-9 in the airline's fleet, with the registration D-ABPA, was christened today at Berlin Brandenburg Airport by Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey.
Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, said, "The first Dreamliner in our long-haul fleet is called 'Berlin', because the company has a long and special relationship with the capital. Lufthansa has been a strong partner of the German capital since it was founded in Berlin in 1926. Since we were allowed to fly to Berlin again in 1990, no other airline has brought more travelers to the region. With the new Boeing 787 'Berlin' we proudly carry the name of the German capital around the world."
Lufthansa was founded in Berlin on January 6, 1926, and was headquartered there until 1945. After World War II, only Allied aircraft were allowed to land in the divided city. Lufthansa did not fly to the capital again until 1990.
The Lufthansa Group is the largest operator at BER. Five of the Group's airlines connect Berlin with Germany and the world. In the upcoming winter flight schedule, Lufthansa Group airlines will offer just under a third of all flights to and from Berlin. In summer 2023, the Lufthansa Group's offering will be more than twice as large as that of the second-largest carrier at the site, accounting for approximately 40% of all flights. In addition, the Group is represented here, as is otherwise only the case in Frankfurt, with all its important business segments.
Franziska Giffey, Governing Mayor of Berlin, said: "Lufthansa and the German capital are linked by a long tradition. The company was founded in Berlin in 1926 and rose to become one of the world's leading airlines. Today, the Lufthansa Group connects Berlin with the world. Long-haul flights to and from BER are very important for our economic development. Our trade fairs, congresses and Berlin's strong hospitality industry also thrive on this. I am delighted to be able to christen Lufthansa's first Dreamliner, 'Berlin', today with ‘Berliner Weiße’, as befits the occasion. I wish the 'Berlin' a good flight at all times."
From December, the D-ABPA will be in service on the route from Frankfurt to New York (Newark). The Dreamliner will make its first commercial flight from Frankfurt to Munich on October 19. From then on, the "Berlin" will fly the domestic route three times a day. This will allow the necessary training flights to be completed and as many crews as possible to be trained.
The Boeing 787-9 is already the seventh Lufthansa aircraft to be named "Berlin." On September 16, 1960, Willy Brandt first christened a Boeing 707 with the name of the capital on September 16, 1960. It was the first aircraft christening after Lufthansa's reestablishment in 1953, and since then it has been a company tradition for aircraft to be named after German cities. The Dreamliner's predecessor was the sixth "Berlin": an Airbus A380 with the registration D-AIMI. It was christened by the then Governing Mayor at Tegel Airport on May 22, 2012 and decommissioned during the pandemic.
The ultra-modern "Dreamliner" long-haul aircraft now only consume an average around 2.5 liters of kerosene per passenger per 100 kilometers flown. That is up to 30 percent less than preceding models. Between 2022 and 2027, the Lufthansa Group will take delivery of a total of 32 Boeing Dreamliners.
