Second milestone reached in ‘Schumacher’ modernization program for Special Air Mission Wing’s historic upgrade.
Lufthansa Technik today at a festive ceremony during ILA Berlin handed over the third and final Airbus A350 government aircraft to the German Federal Ministry of Defense’s (BMVg) Special Air Mission Wing. Secretary of State for Defense, Nils Hilmer, officially commissioned the aircraft with registration 10+03 into service this afternoon. This marked the second premiere for “Schumacher”, the largest modernization program in the history of the Special Air Mission Wing, involving four cabin modifications across three aircraft, including the mentioned Airbus A350.
Soeren Stark, Chief Executive Officer of Lufthansa Technik AG explained,“The largest modernization program in the history of the Special Air Mission Wing can justifiably be called a Herculean task. Four cabin refurbishments for a total of three wide-body jets over just four years, and some of them were still heavily influenced by the pandemic, I am all the more proud of our team, which mastered this task with flying colors, and completely within the estimated cost and time frame. I take my hat off to this achievement and thank everyone who was involved.”
The initial transfer of 10+03 happened shortly after the decision was made to replace the German Air Force’s two Airbus A340s with three new A350s for long-haul political and parliamentary air transport. Due to the urgent need for the first aircraft, Lufthansa Technik initially outfitted 10+03 with an interim cabin, delivering it to the Minister of Defense in August 2020. Full government cabin installations were subsequently completed, with 10+01 “Konrad Adenauer” and 10+02 “Theodor Heuss” delivered in November 2022 and March 2023, respectively. 10+03 “Kurt Schumacher” underwent final cabin interior works at Lufthansa Technik’s Hamburg VIP Completion Center before its recent completion.
As an “early comer” in the program, 10+03 still wore the old color scheme of the so-called “white fleet” until recently, with a serif font on the fuselage and only narrow black-red-gold accents on the wingtips. The livery was also carefully adapted to the more modern look of the two sister aircraft, including new lettering in the “Bundes Sans” font and wingtips that are now extensively painted in the colors of the German flag.
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With the delivery of 10+03, the long-haul fleet of the Special Air Mission Wing is now uniform both externally and internally, with only minimal differences. The interiors of “Adenauer,” “Heuss,” and “Schumacher” feature subtle accents that pay homage to their respective namesakes. Shortly, various symbolic elements such as a boccia game, signatures under the Treaty of Rome, a laurel leaf, stamps, magnets, and quotations will accompany flights conducted by the Special Air Mission Wing.
