This article is part of a directory: The Qatar Airbus A350 Paint Conflict: A Timeline Of Events
Table of contents

After four years in operation, Lufthansa is beginning to repaint its fleet of Airbus A350 aircraft. The first aircraft received, D-AIXA, has been sent to Toulouse for maintenance. When it returns it will sport the airline's new all-blue livery, first spotted on the type when brand new A350s began being delivered to the German flag carrier in 2018.

They say time flies when you're having fun, and with recent events aside, this has certainly been the case for Lufthansa. Last week Simple Flying reported that it had been five years since the airline received its first A320neo. Today marks four years since Lufthansa first presented its first A350-900. Now the aircraft has returned to where it was born.

Repainting the fleet

Yesterday Lufthansa flew an Airbus A350-900 to Toulouse. The aircraft in question was the German flag carrier's first A350, D-AIXA. However, rather than operating flight 2222 to Toulouse, the aircraft completed a ferry flight, LH9923.

Stay informed: Sign up for our daily aviation news digest.

Following a scheduled flight from Newark on January 30th, the aircraft departed Munich at 08:49 yesterday morning, according to data from RadarBox.com. After a 01:23 flight at 41,000 feet, the aircraft touched down in Toulouse at 10:12.

Lufthansa, First A350-900, Repaint
The aircraft flew to Toulouse yesterday morning. Image: RadarBox.com

When contacted by Simple Flying, a Lufthansa spokesperson commented,

"This Airbus A350 has been transferred to Toulouse to get a new paint as part of the regular maintenance."

The aircraft will take on Lufthansa's new paint scheme, shown below, that started to be applied to the fleet in 2018. D-AIXA is the first A350 to be repainted, meaning that the old yellow and blue Lufthansa livery is going to become even rarer. The A350s currently wearing the new livery were delivered with it.

Lufthansa, First A350-900, Repaint
The aircraft will be repainted in Lufthansa's new livery. Photo: Vincenzo Pace - JFKJets.com

Lufthansa's First Airbus A350

According to data from RadarBox, in the last 12 months, the A350 operated 293 flights, covering a total distance of 993,561 nautical miles across 2,227 flight hours. However, the aircraft saw practically no use in June, July, September, and October last year. D-AIXA is four years old, having taken its first flight in November 2016.

Last month Simple Flying reported that a Qatar Airways Airbus A350-900 that is a similar age to D-AIXA was flown to Toulouse for inspection after surface irregularities were discovered when its previous paint coat was removed for repainting.

Four years of A350 operations

Today marks four years since Lufthansa presented its first Airbus A350-900, this aircraft, to the public during an unveiling ceremony in Munich. With 2,000 employees and guests in attendance, the Senior Mayor of Nuremberg became the aircraft's 'godfather.'

Lufthansa, First A350-900, Repaint
Four years ago today Lufthansa unveiled its first Airbus A350-900 to the public. Photo: Oliver Roesler - Lufthansa

In a soft introduction to service, the aircraft operated LH350 to Hamburg on February 9th, 2017, featuring a low flypast of Hamburg and the Hamburg Airbus plant, in what Lufthansa called 'one of the most important events of the year.' The aircraft went on to operate its first long-haul hop the next day to Delhi.

Yesterday Simple Flying revealed that Lufthansa had used another of its A350-900s for its longest flight since it was founded. The flight to the Falklands was also the longest non-stop flight to have departed Hamburg Airport. As of today, Lufthansa has 17 A350-900s with an average age of 2.7 years according to Planespotters.net. The Lufthansa Group has 26 outstanding A350-900 orders.

Have you flown on a Lufthansa Airbus A350-900? How did you find it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!