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I doubt the veracity of that Spiegel report. They have a history. And frankly, I struggle to understand how LH Technik would blunder their technical documentation this way. Any comments? |
New reports today. Apparently the ministry of defense will buy three brand new A350 to replace their two old A340s directly from Airbus. The first one is supposed to be delivered at the end of this year and will probably join the fleet in the middle of next year, at that time most probably without VIP interior, just the usual communication and defensive stuff installed and a normal passenger cabin interior. Germany can take advantage of open delivery slots after some other airbus customers decided not to buy their ordered jets.
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Most stupid and expensive selection. They better should buy A330 Tankers and fit some modest VIP cabin inside. Like the Brits do.
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Looks like some new planes on order.
German government orders three Airbus A350-900 to prevent VIP delays https://airlinerwatch.com/content/im...VIP-Airbus.jpgBerlin - Luftwaffe (German Air Force) will buy three brand-new Airbus A350-900 for VIP transportation. The aircraft will cost the German government around 1.2 billion euros (USD 1.35 billion) including interior equipment, such as VIP cabins, and the special security systems. The Ministry of Defense justifies the purchase stating that absences or late arrivals to damage the national interests and the reputation of Germany."The federal government's ability to function, especially its ability to work, is essentially based on its ability to be mobile worldwide," said the ministry in a statement. Last year in November, Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived late at the G20 meeting in Buenos Aires due to the technical problems with a Luftwaffe Airbus A340 transporting her to the summit. The German prime minister is not the only one who was affected by these delays. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, and Development Minister Gerd Mueller, among others, were also affected by the delays. In January, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in Ethiopia with a three hour delay after his plane encountered technical problems in Berlin before takeoff. In January, Development Minister Gerd Müller had to cancel a trip to Namibia during his Africa tour due to another aircraft failure. And finally early this month, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was stranded in Mali. In 2015, Merkel had to fly to India in a military cargo plane, a C130 Hercules, due to unavailability of the VIP plane. The first Airbus A350-900 will be delivered to the German Air Force in June 2020 and the other two aircraft in 2022. They will replace the two 20 years old Airbus A340. With the new jets, the government hopes to finally get rid of the embarrassing headlines in the German media. |
Originally Posted by Airbubba
(Post 10445315)
In 2015, Merkel had to fly to India in a military cargo plane, a C130 Hercules, due to unavailability of the VIP plane.
Angela Merkel arrives in India on 3-day visit, to meet PM Narendra Modi today |
All maintenance of all Luftwaffe AIRBUS planes is outsourced to Lufthansa Technik. There is an overexpectation in the media with regard to realistic delay and cancellation rate. Tis is no worse than for commercial fleets. The problem is non-availability of backup aircraft, rather than technical incompetence. The fleet is simply too small.
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