• Tom Boon-169
    Lufthansa
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    LH/DLH
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Frankfurt Airport, Munich Airport
    Year Founded:
    1953
    Alliance:
    Star Alliance
    Airline Group:
    Lufthansa Group
    CEO:
    Carsten Spohr
    Country:
    Germany

Germany's Lufthansa treated followers of its social media account to some beautiful images of its second Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The plane, a three-year-old 787-9, will be named after the location of Lufthansa's largest hub - Frankfurt am Main. It is set to join the flag carrier's fleet in the next few months - given that Boeing gets the go-ahead to resume Dreamliner deliveries.

Different fate from initial orders

The plane is looking good despite having been parked for three years since it rolled out from the final assembly line (FAL) in Everett. It has just received a fresh coat of paint in the easily distinguishable white and blue livery of Lufthansa. However, that was not what it was first destined to look like. D-ABPD was initially intended for China's Hainan Airlines and then Indian full-service carrier Vistara but was never taken up by either airline.

The first Boeing 787 registered with Lufthansa is D-ABPA. This has the same Hainan/Vistara order log and is also not yet delivered to the German airline. Meanwhile, it has also received its name - Lufthansa is calling it Berlin, after the country's once-divided capital. Lufthansa has orders for 32 of the type in total. Twenty were ordered in March 2019, and the airline added another five to the orderbook in May last year. The order was then upped by another seven in May 2022, at the same time it committed to the 777X freighter.

Deliveries about to finally restart?

Boeing has not delivered any new 787 since May 2021 due to safety regulators finding production flaws in the aircraft. On July 17, Boeing said it was "very close" to restarting deliveries. Indeed, last Friday, although not yet officially confirmed, Boeing reportedly received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its inspection and modification plan for the Dreamliner.

Lufthansa_787_Take-Off_089_Full_Res_JPG
The industry has been hampered by flight delays and cancelations, leaving passengers waiting for refunds.  Photo: Lufthansa

Just yesterday, Thursday, August 4, FAA acting Administrator Billy Nolen met with safety inspectors in South Carolina to determine whether the aerospace manufacturer had done enough to finally be allowed to resume 787 deliveries.

The FAA said, as quoted by Reuters, that the purpose of the visit was "to ensure that the FAA is satisfied that Boeing has taken the appropriate steps to improve manufacturing quality and to guarantee the autonomy of workers who ensure regulatory compliance on the company’s assembly lines."

What do you think of the Dreamliner in Lufthansa's colors? Will Boeing finally be allowed to restart deliveries of its popular widebody? Leave a comment below and share your ideas.

Source: Reuters