Lufthansa's First A350-1000 Lands in Munich as RBC Trims Forecasts on Fuel Costs
Published on 11/15/2026 at 16:02 | Editorial boerse-global.de
Lufthansa took delivery of its first Airbus A350-1000 on Tuesday, with the aircraft touching down in Munich a day later. The jet, named "Deutschland," is scheduled to operate its maiden passenger service on the Munich–Tokyo Haneda route on 3 December — and it will also become the airline's first long-haul aircraft equipped with Starlink internet access.
Workers still need to install the Starlink antenna and cabling, and to add blankets, pillows and safety equipment before the aircraft enters service, according to the Augsburger Allgemeine. A spokesperson said the plane is otherwise ready for passengers. Shanghai and Singapore are slated to follow Tokyo Haneda as deployment routes in the weeks ahead, with Munich serving as the base for the new type at the core brand.
The connectivity offering will be free in all travel classes for Miles & More members and Travel ID users, covering streaming and cloud-based work among other uses. Lufthansa has ordered 15 aircraft of the type group-wide, with deliveries running through 2030; the first ten are destined for the core brand in Munich.
Fuel Efficiency Meets a Cautious Broker View
The economic case for the A350-1000 rests chiefly on the efficiency gain Lufthansa cites over older aircraft: 25% lower fuel consumption and correspondingly lower CO? emissions compared with previous-generation planes. The company declined to disclose the price of an individual aircraft to the Augsburger Allgemeine.
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How much the fleet program matters for valuation was flagged by DZ Bank in its 4 August assessment. Analyst Dirk Schlamp saw the medium-term turnaround still intact, though near-term higher uncertainty and the delayed fleet modernization limited upside potential. The current delivery marks concrete progress on that modernization, but it evidences the handover of a single aircraft rather than completion of the broader program. The next operational test is the announced passenger debut to Tokyo.
RBC Cuts EBIT Estimates on Higher Fuel Costs
RBC Capital Markets kept Lufthansa at "Sector Perform" on Tuesday and reiterated its price target of EUR 8.50. The research house trimmed its operating profit expectations for coming years, citing higher fuel costs. Its EBIT estimate for 2027 was cut by roughly four to five percent, while the 2028 forecast came down by about two percent.
The broker update follows a mixed operating picture. At its results presentation on 3 November, Lufthansa lowered the upper end of its guidance for adjusted EBIT in the current year to EUR 2.0 billion, even as the group reported the highest quarterly revenue in its corporate history. Third-quarter 2026 revenue reached EUR 12.2 billion, up 9% year on year, and adjusted EBIT rose 6% over the same period.
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US Travel Disruption Proves Limited
The airline group also weathered a US-wide departure ban on Friday with only limited impact. Lufthansa said the majority of its US flights operated as scheduled, with individual connections cancelled or delayed. The Lufthansa share rose 1.9% on Friday to EUR 8.81.
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