In a ceremony at Düsseldorf’s airport today, Deutsche Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr and Armin Laschet, Minister-President of the German federal state of North Rhineland-Westphalia signed a statement naming the new A321neo ‘Aachen.’
In a Lufthansa News Release today, the company celebrated the delivery of their first Airbus A321neo, which was named Aachen after the North Rhineland-Westphalian city. The A321neo delivers 20% less fuel consumption, is quieter and emits substantially less CO2 than previous generation aircraft. On average, the Lufthansa Group will be receiving a new aircraft every two weeks over the next decade as the company upgrades its fleet to the most technologically advanced and environmentally sustainable aircraft available. In the Düsseldorf ceremony, Deutsche Lufthansa AG CEO Carsten Spohr stated,
“The Lufthansa Group invests almost three billion euros per year into new, fuel-efficient aircraft. That is the most powerful tool we currently have to make flying as climate friendly as possible.” Mr. Spohr also explained that a prerequisite for these enormous investments was the need for Germany to remain internationally competitive adding, “Policy-makers have to create a framework that allows investments into the future and strengthens the country’s position as an air traffic location.”
The new Lufthansa aircraft ‘Aachen' will serve as a flying ambassador for the city and the federal state of North Rhineland-Westphalia, an important location for the company. The Lufthansa Group employs around 5,000 in the region with operations at Düsseldorf, Cologne/Bonn, Paderborn-Lippstadt and Münster/Osnabrück. In the news release, Armin Laschet, a native of Aachen and Minister-President of North Rhineland-Westphalia stated,
“This aircraft will carry the name ‘Aachen’ to many cities throughout Europe. This will also make it an ambassador for the European idea embodied by Aachen and North Rhine-Westphalia. At the same time, giving the aircraft the name 'Aachen' also pays tribute to a city that is above all the distinguished home of RWTH Aachen University and many research institutions and companies with innovative drive and a pioneering spirit in all areas of future-oriented mobility. As the state government, we also want to harness this pioneering spirit for the aviation sector and are therefore supporting the expansion of the airfield in Aachen-Merzbrück to a research airport where alternatives for low-noise flight can be tested along with the environmentally-friendly propulsion technologies of the future. Our aim is to make flying more sustainable with new technology, further strengthening the competitive position of the aviation sector in North Rhine-Westphalia."
Source: Lufthansa