Lufthansa A380 D-AIMA. Photo by Lasse Fuss used under CC license.

Lufthansa officially confirms names of its first two Airbus A380 superjumbos

Officially, Lufthansa has confirmed world-wide reports on the name of its first Airbus A380 super jumbo due to be delivered on May 10th. The aircraft is called “Frankfurt am Main”. Lufthansa’s second A380, which arrived at the Airbus facility in Hamburg-Finkenwerder on February 3rd, will be named “München”.

Karl Ulrich Garnadt, Lufthansa German Airlines Board member says

“We are looking forward to accepting delivery of our new flagship, which will open up an entirely new dimension in air travel for our passengers,” “The choice of names underlines the central importance of our two major hubs.”

The Airbus A380s with the registration series D-AIMx (D-AIMA, D-AIMB ….) will enter service with Lufthansa, mainly on routes to Asia and North America. India is the second largest overseas destination for Lufthansa after the United States. Bangalore Aviation has reported the definite possibility of the German carrier being the first to operate the superjumbo to India, specifically in to New Delhi, the only city in India with the passenger loads and airport infrastructure to justify such an operation.

A competition to find a catchy nickname for the Airbus A380 was launched yesterday at Lufthansa’s special A380 site.

The A380 livery incorporates a wealth of technical finesse. Its sophisticated paint system consists of a primer, a thinner and a hardener, mixed immediately before the paint is sprayed on with electrostatic pistols. This method enables fast-drying paint to be used and at the same time reduces the amount of paint needed by about 200 litres. Although the complete paint scheme covers a surface area of about 3,500 sq. metres (37,674 sq. feet) and includes the Lufthansa logo, which measures 180 cm (6 feet) in height, the total weight of the paint is only about 650 kg, since it is thinner than a human hair.

Also see earlier pictures of Lufthansa’s A380 rolling off the final assembly line here.

About Devesh Agarwal

A electronics and automotive product management, marketing and branding expert, he was awarded a silver medal at the Lockheed Martin innovation competition 2010. He is ranked 6th on Mashable's list of aviation pros on Twitter and in addition to Bangalore Aviation, he has contributed to leading publications like Aviation Week, Conde Nast Traveller India, The Economic Times, and The Mint (a Wall Street Journal content partner). He remains a frequent flier and shares the good, the bad, and the ugly about the Indian aviation industry without fear or favour.

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