The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) witnessed the fly-in of the Airbus A350-900 XWB by Europe's largest airline, Lufthansa German Airline, making it the only airport in India to handle daily operations of two Airbus A350-900 XWB, the world's most advanced premium passenger aircraft, said a statement from GVK Mumbai International Airport.
The newest addition to the Lufthansa fleet will embark on daily 8-hour flights to Munich, which is also one of the airline's hub location. With a maximum seating capacity of 293 passengers, the cabin has 48 passengers in Business Class, 21 in Premium Economy Class and 224 in Economy Class, said Lufthansa.
The luxury aircraft ensures a spacious atmosphere with its wide seating and high ceilings, and provides a quiet, well-lit cabin, with a relaxing environment and the best of in-flight amenities, in all classes. The aircraft is fitted with in-flight entertainment with a Wi-Fi adaptive cabin that offers passengers access to movies on demand and mobile phone connectivity, letting them keep themselves updated with work, news or even browse social media and play games online, said Lufthansa.
The Airbus A350-900 XWB marks a generational shift in long haul aircrafts, emphasising passenger comfort and environment-friendly operations as much as flight range and load capacity.
With increasing number of passenger travelling to international destinations, CSIA, Mumbai, with single runway system, has through the development of its infrastructure, actively encouraged airlines to operate on new foreign routes with wide bodied aircrafts so as to meet the rising passenger demand, despite constraints.
With over 46 international airlines operating to/from Mumbai, handling more than 12.4 million international passengers in a year, the airport is a key gateway into India, connecting it to key European and other global destinations.
