HAMBURG, May 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Lufthansa entered the jet age with Boeing (NYSE: BA) 50 years ago. The airline and airplane manufacturer, both pre-eminent in the aviation industry, can look back on half a century of close and successful cooperation. Neither company shies away from taking the next step forward or from pushing technology and innovation to the next level. Together, Lufthansa and Boeing constantly work on even more efficient and environmentally progressive airplanes.

Lufthansa began scheduled jet service with a Boeing 707 on a direct flight from Hamburg to New York on March 17, 1960. With this jetliner, Boeing accomplished a quantum leap: Seating 168 passengers, the new airplane accommodated nearly twice as many passengers as the biggest propeller-driven airplane of the time. Traveling at a higher altitude, the 707 reduced flying time from Hamburg to New York by half, to around eight hours.

Since then, the airline business has continued to advance on many fronts. New technologies and materials have made flying even safer and more efficient. Passenger comfort has risen to unprecedented levels. Fuel consumption has been reduced by more than 70 per cent since the 1970s. And for the future, the air transport industry continues to develop new design criteria, then evaluate and implement them.

Boeing and Lufthansa are taking their successful cooperation and shared commitment to innovation a major step forward with the introduction of the 747-8 Intercontinental. Lufthansa will soon be welcoming the latest Boeing model into its fleet. The airline placed orders with Boeing for a total of 20 747-8 Intercontinentals. The new 747-8 is cleaner, quieter and more fuel efficient than its predecessor, the 747-400, and adopts the interior cabin architecture and lighting technologies inspired by the 787 Dreamliner.

Source: Boeing