LUFTHANSA has become the first airline in the world to take delivery of a Boeing 747-8. After the handover at Boeing’s manufacturing facility in Everett, Washington, the new “Jumbo” with the registration D-ABYA performed a touch and go at Hamburg Airport, where Lufthansa Technik is based, before flying on to its future home base in Frankfurt, where it landed safely.

On June 1, the world’s first passenger flight with a Boeing 747-8 aircraft will depart from Frankfurt as flight LH 418 bound for Washington Dulles International Airport in the US capital, Washington DC.

“We are looking forward to welcoming the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental to our long-haul fleet. In future we will offer our passengers on board this completely newly developed long-haul aircraft an exclusive travel experience and the comfort of our new Business Class. The Boeing 747-8 is characterised by lower noise emissions, lower fuel consumption and significantly reduced CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions. That enables us to combine maximum comfort with sustainability,” said Lufthansa executive board member Carsten Spohr.

On board the new 747-8,   passengers will experience the new Business Class. The new seat offers exceptional comfort for passengers in a sitting or recumbent position, intuitive adjustment features, additional storage space and an individual entertainment system with much larger, 15-inch screens.

For the first time, First Class passengers will be seated in the front section of the main deck, the quietest part of the aircraft – thanks to the outer skin insulation, sound-absorbing curtains, which minimise specific noises, and the sound-deadening material used in the aircraft flooring.

Lufthansa will take delivery of 20 Boeing 747-8s up until 2015. The first five aircraft are due to be delivered to Lufthansa this year. They will be deployed on routes from Frankfurt to Washington DC, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chicago and Los Angeles.