Lufthansa Technik AG has begun working on the cabin conversion of the first of three Airbus A350-900s for the German Federal Government's Special Air Mission Wing. The aircraft with the temporary civil registration D-AGAF (later military registration 10+03) arrived at Hamburg's International Airport in Fuhlsbüttel at around 1:30 PM May 7, where it will be given a government cabin by Lufthansa Technik's VIP & Special Mission Aircraft Services product division. This is the world's first conversion of this kind of an Airbus A350.
As this aircraft is to be made available to the German Air Force very soon, it will initially be equipped with a special transitional cabin for the transport of representatives of the Federal Government and their accompanying delegations. The corresponding preliminary work had already begun in November last year in Lufthansa Technik's VIP workshops. Once the aircraft has received its cabin, it is scheduled to be delivered to the customer by the end of July.
The transitional cabin is tailored to the specific requirements of the customer. It will be equipped with office and conference areas, adjoined to a multifunctional lounge area. The rest of the cabin space will be available to the accompanying delegations. It will have generous seat spacing, an appropriate number of washrooms and modern kitchen equipment.
Only after the sister aircraft 10+01 and 10+02, which are currently still under construction, receive a fully featured VIP cabin from Lufthansa Technik next year, the transitional cabin in 10+03 will also be exchanged for one.
"Over decades we have formed a comprehensive partnership with the German Air Force, in the course of which we have already equipped a large number of aircraft with special cabins for government representatives," said Kai-Stefan Röpke, Vice President VIP & Special Mission Aircraft Services. "Today we are of course particularly pleased to be able to extend this cooperation to the most modern generation of aircraft and to install the first government cabin in an Airbus A350. This is not only a first for our long-standing customer German Air Force or for Lufthansa Technik, but for the entire industry".
