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4,000th
Airbus Aircraft Delivered to Lufthansa
Airbus reached a significant milestone today when the 4,000th
aircraft to come off the production line was delivered to
its customers Lufthansa; the Frankfurt-based airline took
delivery of the twin-aisle A330-300 at a special ceremony
in Toulouse, France.
Commenting
on this achievement, Gustav Humbert, Chief Executive Officer,
stressed the significance of this historical day for Airbus.
He said: "This is a clear reflection of the company’s
success with customers and operators and with the travelling
public." Since its creation, Airbus has brought to
the market a series of 13 different models covering all
market segments from the smallest 107-seat A318 up to the
large 555-seat A380 double-decker.
Mr.
Humbert continued: "With our most modern production
line, we reached half the market share over the past few
years. I wish to thank all our customers for their confidence
in our products. Our ambition for the future is to continue
to develop, produce and deliver products that will respond
to – and even anticipate – customers’ needs.
We want to ensure that they get the best in terms of quality
and services."
Since
its creation, Airbus has received orders for 5,570 aircraft
including 544 A330s from 243 operators and 210 customers.
This shows a healthy backlog of 1,570 aircraft.
Lufthansa
was one of the very early Airbus operators when it took
delivery of its first A300 aircraft in 1976, the first wide
body twin engine aircraft to be produced by any aircraftmaker.
Lufthansa has been a loyal Airbus customer since the early
days.
The
airline was launch customer for the A310 back in 1978. Lufthansa
was also one of the driving forces behind the launch of
the A330/A340 programme back in 1987, and contributed significantly
to the development of the A320. It became launch customer
for the A321 in 1989, and is now, with more than 80 aircraft
in service, one of the largest operators of the A320 family.
Lufthansa was also a launch customer for the A380 of which
it has ordered 15.
Mr.
Humbert said: "We are therefore particularly proud
that this delivery goes to Lufthansa, an airline which has
virtually acquired and ordered all Airbus models from the
A300 to the A380. We are also very pleased that this 4,000th
aircraft happens to be the highly successful A330-300, as
it remains the work horse on the long range medium capacity
routes. The A330-300 has been a lynchpin of Airbus' success
and has played a key role in many airlines' long haul operations."
The
A330-300 is the twin-engine Airbus aircraft which offers
the best cost per passenger ratio in its category and is
capable of carrying 335 passengers comfortably. A330 airliners
have flown over five million operational hours with more
than 60 customers and operators. Such popularity lies in
the A330's ability to match market requirements more closely
in terms of range and efficiency than other aircraft currently
on the market whilst continuing to offer the highest levels
of technology in terms of structure, aerodynamics, systems
and cockpit commonality.
Airbus
is an EADS joint company with BAE Systems.
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