Germany has updated the livery of its Airbus A350s designated for VIP travel. Notably, the livery now features a fully painted wingtip, in addition to a new font for the words "Bundesrepublik Deutschland".It's been almost a year since the first Airbus A350 bound for the German Air Force rolled out of the paint shop in Hamburg. Now, one year on, the second aircraft has followed. However, fans of the aircraft were quick to notice that the aircraft featured a new livery while maintaining the overall look and feel of the preceding aircraft. The aircraft will have a VIP cabin fitted by Lufthansa Technik before being delivered to the country's air force.
A brand new look
Last week Simple Flying wrote about a german airline applying a new livery to its Airbus A350s in Toulouse. However, this week is the turn of the German government. Yesterday, 10+01 rolled out of the paint shop.
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10+01 will be the second A350 to go to the German Air Force. Eurospot on Twitter caught the aircraft leaving the paint shop with a new livery. The livery is mostly similar to that seen on its sister 10+03. However, a couple of subtle differences exist.
Firstly, the font for "Bundesrepublik Deutschland" and "Luftwaffe" has been given a more modern feel, and a couple of logos have been moved slightly. However, the most significant difference is that the winglets are now covered by the German flag instead of the stripe previously seen.
One would assume that these changes will also feature on the final A350 to be delivered, 10+02. It isn't clear whether the existing A350 could be repainted. The opportunity would exist. The aircraft is currently flying with a temporary interior to get it into service quickly. However, once the other two aircraft have been delivered with their permanent interiors, 10+03 will go back for a cabin refresh.
What has been going on with 10+03?
Since the first A350 was delivered to the Air Force in October, it has already been put to fair use, primarily on training flights. Up to the end of February, the aircraft had completed 173.6 hours of flights, covering 80,832 nautical miles, according to data from RadarBox.com. This included a non-stop trip to Australia.
Recently, the aircraft has been operating many flights from Cologne across Europe. These flights have lasted several hours, visiting a range of European countries but not stopping. For example, on Friday, the aircraft departed from Cologne at 09:25. The aircraft then completed a touch and go in Bordeaux, France at 10:40, before another in Faro, Portugal at 12:15. It then flew back to Cologne, landing at 15:20 after another touch and go.
What do you make of 10+01's new livery? Let us know your experience in the comments below!