Lufthansa (LH) took delivery of its first Airbus A350-1000 in Toulouse, France, on November 10, 2026, and the widebody is also the 700th Airbus aircraft delivered to the Lufthansa Group. The 300-seat jet, fitted with the airline’s Allegris cabin, will be based in Munich, where it becomes the first of ten A350-1000s assigned to the hub.

In a press release dated November 10, 2026, Airbus said the aircraft wears a commemorative livery marking “100 years of Lufthansa” and will fly long-haul routes from Munich to destinations such as Tokyo, Shanghai and Singapore. The handover completes the delivery Lufthansa described on October 15, 2026, when it named Tokyo as the type’s first destination and scheduled the December 3 Munich to Tokyo launch.

The aircraft and its cabin

According to Lufthansa’s October 15 release, the aircraft carries the registration D-AIFA and the name “Deutschland”. The A350-1000 is 73.80 meters long, seven meters longer than the A350-900 that Lufthansa already flies. Lufthansa lists three to four First Class seats (two single suites and one “Suite Plus”), 49 Business Class seats including eight suites, 35 Premium Economy seats and 212 Economy seats.

Heiko Reitz, member of the Lufthansa Airlines Board and Hub Manager Munich, said the new flagship has 40 percent more Business and Premium Economy seats. “The A350-1000 strengthens our premium hub in Munich,” Reitz said.

“The introduction of the new A350-1000 is part of the largest fleet modernization in the history of the Lufthansa Group.”

Reitz made the statement in the October 15 release. The aircraft is powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines and uses lightweight materials, including more than 50 percent composites. Lufthansa said these reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 25 percent compared with previous-generation aircraft. Airbus gives the A350 a range of up to 9,700 nautical miles (18,000 kilometres) non-stop.

The jet is the seventh aircraft in Lufthansa’s 100th-anniversary livery, joining the airline’s centennial anniversary fleet. In a release dated July 14, 2026, Lufthansa said the aircraft was painted at Airbus’s Toulouse plant in blue with a large white crane and the lettering “1926 | 2026”, using 432 liters of blue and 246 liters of white paint. At that point, the release said, an A350-900, an A380, a Boeing 787-9, a Boeing 747-8 and two A320neo aircraft already wore the design.

Munich first, then Tokyo, Shanghai and Singapore

Lufthansa said in October that the aircraft was due in Munich in mid-November and that, after final preparations, its first passenger flight is scheduled for December 3, 2026, from Munich Airport (MUC) to Tokyo Haneda International Airport (HND). Shanghai and Singapore are to be added in the following weeks. All of those flights will use the Allegris cabin and alternate between the A350-1000 and the A350-900. The July release said an official naming ceremony will be held at a later date.

The Lufthansa Group has ordered 15 aircraft of the type, and the first ten will fly for Lufthansa from the Munich hub. Munich Airport handled 41,568,000 passengers in 2024 and has two runways, 08L/26R and 08R/26L, each 13,123 feet long, according to its AirPro Atlas record.

How the A350-1000 order and schedule developed

The Lufthansa Group ordered ten A350-1000s in March 2023. When it announced a follow-on order on December 20, 2024, the group said those first deliveries were due to start in April 2026. The first aircraft was handed over on November 10, 2026. Neither the Airbus release nor Lufthansa’s October release gives a reason for the timing.

The December 2024 order raised the group’s firm A350-1000 commitments from 10 to 15, at a list price of about two billion US dollars, with the additional jets to be delivered between 2028 and 2031. In its October 2026 release, Lufthansa said all 15 are to be delivered by 2030. In June 2026, the group said its total A350 orders stood at 75, including the A350-1000.

In December 2024, the group said its new twin-engine long-haul jets are meant to replace four-engine types being phased out: the Boeing 747-400, the Airbus A340-600 and the Airbus A340-300. Those types are still flying. AirPro Atlas data, which counts aircraft seen flying under the Lufthansa (DLH) code since October 11, 2026, lists 11 A340-300s, 4 A340-600s and 8 Boeing 747-400s, alongside 31 A350-900s.

A 700th delivery after 50 years of partnership

In a release dated June 10, 2026, the Lufthansa Group said it and Airbus marked 50 years of partnership at the opening of the ILA Berlin Air Show, a relationship that began in 1976 with the delivery of Lufthansa’s first A300. At that event, which also produced a component services deal for the A220 fleet, Lars Wagner, CEO Commercial Aircraft at Airbus, said:

“Today, we are working together towards the delivery of the 700th aircraft for the Lufthansa Group.”

Wagner called the milestone an example of how the two companies have helped make aviation a key industry for Germany, according to the Lufthansa Group release on the anniversary.

Airbus describes the Lufthansa Group as one of the world’s largest Airbus operators, flying the A220, A320 Family, A330, A340, A350 Family and A380, and notes that the airline was launch operator for the A321, A320neo and A340-200. In December 2024, the group said it had ordered 770 aircraft from Airbus throughout its history and described itself as Airbus’s largest customer worldwide.

Airbus said the A350 Family had 1,628 orders from 70 customers worldwide at the end of October 2026. The next scheduled milestone for D-AIFA is its first passenger service from Munich to Tokyo on December 3, 2026.

Milestone Aviation Group has completed a multi-aircraft transaction with Omni Helicopters International (OHI) covering three new Leonardo AW189 helicopters, two Sikorsky S-92 helicopters in full all-weather search and rescue (SAR) configuration and a five-year lease extension on one AW139. The AW189s will support offshore oil and gas growth in Brazil, and the S-92s will add SAR capacity in South America.

Milestone, an AerCap company, announced the deal in a press release dated November 5, 2026, datelined Dublin. The three AW189s are a purchase and leaseback, with deliveries scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026 and the first quarter of 2027. The two S-92s are expected in the first quarter of 2027.

What each aircraft will do

Omni currently operates the AW139 in offshore oil and gas work and will extend its lease by five years. Milestone said the S-92s will support SAR growth and consolidation in South America, and described the transaction as a significant investment in the region’s offshore and SAR sectors that also reinforces the future of the S-92 platform.

Pat Sheedy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Milestone, said the company is pleased to strengthen its long-standing partnership with Omni and called the two SAR-configured S-92s a major investment in Brazil’s search and rescue capacity. “Brazil remains a key market for Milestone,” he said, citing the S-92’s reliability, payload and all-weather performance.

Jeremy Akel, Group Chief Executive Officer of OHI, said the deal is another step in Omni’s ability to deliver safe, reliable, mission-critical aviation services across South America. He said the partnership lets Omni invest in the right aircraft and that the additions strengthen its Offshore Energy and Search and Rescue capabilities.

A long-running lessor relationship

The transaction adds to earlier deals between the two companies. In March 2025, at Verticon in Dallas, Milestone announced lease agreements with OHI for seven helicopters: two Airbus H145s, one Airbus H135, one new Airbus H160, one new Airbus H175 and lease extensions on two Sikorsky S-92s. That H160 was Milestone’s first placement in Brazil, where Petrobras was to use it for oil and gas projects.

Milestone, which marked 15 years as a helicopter lessor in 2025, describes itself as the world’s leading helicopter leasing and financing company. It offers operating leases, purchase and leasebacks, secured debt financing, engine leasing and fleet advisory services, and supports about 50 customers in about 35 countries. Its parent, AerCap, serves about 300 customers and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

OHI, which describes itself as Latin America’s largest provider of air mobility and delivery solutions, operates through Omni Taxi Aéreo in Brazil, Omni Helicopters Guyana Inc. and Omni Helicopters International Mozambique. Its services include crew change, emergency medical services, firefighting, SAR, and cargo and utility work.

S-92 support in Brazil

Sheedy also pointed to the recent opening of the first Sikorsky-authorized S-92 Customer Support Center, in Cabo Frio. Heli-One, a helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) provider, opened the center on May 27, 2026, with the support of Sikorsky and Milestone. It provides scheduled and unscheduled maintenance on any S-92 in the region and is the foundation of a planned S-92 Center of Excellence offering parts provisioning, overhaul and repair. Kevin Spengler, Heli-One President, said the center will shorten maintenance turnaround times and improve parts provisioning.

In its May 2026 release, Lockheed Martin said Milestone owned 17 of the approximately 40 S-92 aircraft operating in South America, and that about 275 S-92s were operational worldwide, most of them carrying crews to offshore oil and gas rigs. The S-92 carries 19 passengers up to a 200 nautical mile radius.

Sikorsky has also announced a new U.S. production line for the S-92A. Lockheed Martin said that by 2028 Sikorsky will be able to produce 12 S-92A+ aircraft a year, and that the S-92A+ has a new main gearbox with a minimum of 6,000 flight hours between overhauls and a maximum gross weight of 27,700 pounds.

Milestone did not disclose the financial terms of the transaction.

Aircraft Engine Lease Finance (AELF), a US-based commercial aircraft lessor, has acquired two Airbus A330 aircraft on lease to Madrid-based Wamos Air from entities managed by AerCap, adding a charter and wet-lease specialist to the airlines that lease its A330 fleet.

In a press release dated November 9, 2026, AELF said the transaction covers an Airbus A330-300 manufactured in 2011 and an Airbus A330-200 manufactured in 2009. The release did not disclose financial terms. The deal follows Deucalion Aviation’s March 2026 announcement that it had arranged the acquisition of three A330s on lease to the same airline for institutional investors.

AELF’s case for the A330

Joe Cirillo, President and Chief Commercial Officer of AELF, said the company was “thrilled to welcome Wamos Air as a lessee” and remains committed to what he called its “longstanding investment thesis for the A330 platform.” He set out that thesis in the release:

“The A330’s mid-life capital cost relative to new-technology aircraft, coupled with limited current-generation alternatives, supports its sustained value. With OEM production rates insufficient to meet mid-term demand, we expect continued narrowbody-like liquidity from Trent- and GE-powered A330 variants.”

According to the release, AELF’s A330 fleet is leased to airlines across North America, Europe and Africa and sits alongside a narrowbody portfolio of Boeing 737 aircraft. The company says it focuses heavily on the A330 and 737 types, and that it buys both aircraft already on lease and dormant or stub-leased assets, which it returns to service through maintenance and remarketing programs.

The release did not give the two aircraft’s serial numbers, engine types or remaining lease terms.

How AELF has built its A330 portfolio

AELF, which has offices in Chicago and Medley, Florida, is an Expedition Partners company and says it has been in operation for over a decade. On March 3, 2025, at the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading (ISTAT) Americas convention in Phoenix, it announced the acquisition of a 2016-vintage A330-300, MSN 1754, on lease to South African Airways, in a deal arranged by Arena Aviation Capital. In that release, AELF said it also leases a fleet of A330-200s.

In May 2025, AELF bought an A330-200, MSN 1104, from Avolon. The aircraft, powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent engines, remained on operating lease to Hawaiian Airlines and became AELF’s first aircraft with that carrier. In August 2025, the lessor leased an A330-200, MSN 489, to euroAtlantic Airways of Portugal. AELF said it was the first Airbus aircraft for the ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) operator, which had flown only Boeing aircraft in its 30-year history.

AELF has also lined up new financing. In January 2026, AELF said it had raised $355 million in committed capital or term financings during 2025 from lenders including Investec, Absa Group, Merchants Bank and Natixis, to pursue growth opportunities and expand its fleet. In February 2026, it promoted Cirillo, who has 20 years of aircraft leasing experience and has held leadership roles at AELF since its inception, to President while he kept the Chief Commercial Officer role.

Wamos Air and its A330 lessors

Wamos Air traces its history to 2003, when it was founded as Pullmantur Air, and took the Wamos name in 2014. The airline, which describes itself as “Europe’s number one in charter and wet lease operations,” says it flies to 200 airports in 87 countries. Enrique Saiz has been chief executive since 2012, according to the company.

The fleet has grown since 2022. Wamos Air says that in 2022 it modernized its fleet to four A330-200s and five A330-300s; its fleet page now lists thirteen aircraft, eight A330-300s and five A330-200s.

On March 3, 2026, Deucalion Aviation said it had arranged the purchase of three Wamos Air A330s, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent engines, acting as arranger and servicer for institutional investors. Nate Riggs, Deucalion’s Chief Commercial Officer, said at the time that “The A330 remains a highly versatile variant.” Deucalion, which says it manages over $2 billion in aircraft assets, focuses on mid- to end-of-life widebody aircraft.