Lufthansa has taken delivery of its first Airbus A350-1000, the stretched version of the jet it already flies in the -900 variant, and the handover doubled as a milestone: this was the German carrier's 700th Airbus aircraft, exactly 50 years after its first Airbus delivery. The ceremony took place at Airbus's Toulouse base, and the jet — registered D-AIFA and christened 'Deutschland' — sports Lufthansa's special centenary livery. It ferried to the airline's Munich hub on November 11 ahead of entering service in December.
Passengers will notice two big upgrades. First, the aircraft will carry Lufthansa's new Allegris premium cabin across every class, the group's most significant long-haul cabin refresh in years. Second, it becomes the first jet in the entire Lufthansa long-haul fleet to offer Starlink WiFi — high-speed connectivity that should finally make inflight internet on a Frankfurt or Munich long-haul feel like ground speed rather than dial-up. CEO Carsten Spohr also highlighted the aircraft's economics: it burns up to 30% less fuel per passenger than the jets it replaces.
The rollout schedule matters if you're booking long-haul from Munich. The first commercial flight is pencilled in for December 3, 2026, on the Munich–Tokyo Haneda route, followed by Singapore from December 12 and Shanghai Pudong from December 18. That makes Asia the launch ground for the new type, with more destinations to come. Lufthansa has 15 of the type on firm order, the first ten based at Munich, and expects all 15 delivered by 2030 as part of what it calls the largest fleet modernisation in its history.
For travellers, the practical upshot: if you're flying Munich to Tokyo, Singapore or Shanghai in late 2026, check whether your flight is operated by the A350-1000 — you could end up on the newest widebody in the Lufthansa fleet, in a fresh Allegris seat, with Starlink on board. Given the jet only completed its flight-test program on November 6, treat the early December dates as the moment the experience genuinely goes live.
It's a quietly significant moment for European long-haul flying: the world's largest Airbus customer adding the newest member of that family, and regular travellers to East Asia getting first access to it.
