After flying in A380, Lufthansa could become the first to get the A350 to India

The A350 will help Lufthansa connect to tier-II destinations such as Kolkata and Hyderabad, from where it had to pull out a few years earlier

Even as it prepares to fly the super jumbo Airbus A380 into Mumbai from October this year, German flag carrier Lufthansa could also become the first airline to bring the new A350 twin-aisle aircraft to India after the plane joins its fleet late next year.

The A350 will help it connect to tier-II destinations such as Kolkata and Hyderabad, from where it had to pull out a few years earlier, Wolfgang Will, its director for South Asia, told Business Standard.

The 300-seater (three-class cabin) A350-900, France-based Airbus’ newest aircraft, saw the first delivery to Qatar Airways in December. Lufthansa has ordered 25 such aircraft, which will progressively replace the similar-size A340.

“This (A350) will be an aircraft that will enable us to serve second-tier markets because it is smaller, and very fuel-efficient, with just two engines. Some years before, we stopped operations to Hyderabad and Kolkata because it was not feasible. With new aircraft and new costs, it might again be attractive. When it (A350) joins the fleet, there will be internal competition to see who gets the first route, so let us see,” Will said.

The airline, which launched a Frankfurt-Delhi A380 service in November, also connects to four more cities in India – Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and Chennai. “For us, India is a strategic, fast-growing market. We are already covering few important mega cities and metros. We are looking at possibilities to enlarge our network,” he added.

Lufthansa, which operates 67 frequencies a week to India along with group airlines Austrian and Swiss, will also roll out a new ‘Premium Economy’ class on all its aircraft by September this year. Currently, the airline offers 32 premium economy seats on its single Boeing 747-8 aircraft to Bengaluru, while 52 seats of this class will be available on the A380 from April 23.

“From the first moment, we have seen very nice seat load factors. In Bengaluru, with the techies, it is exactly the segment for such a product. The upper management will fly business class but those that go on projects are not entitled to business, so they choose this,” Will said.

The airline’s business class would be completely retrofitted this year, he said, with flat-bed seats.