Today is another great day for the German flag-carrier, Lufthansa. In a few hours, they will be launching their longest ever flight from Hamburg, Germany to the Falkland Islands. We took a look at the route.
More about the flight
Lufthansa flight 2574 from Hamburg, Germany to Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands will be operated by an Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The Airbus A350 is one of the newest types to join their fleet. The flight will also last a whopping 15 hours, making it one of the longest ever flights to be operated by a commercial airline. The first-ever flight operating on this route will depart on 31 January 2021 at 8:30 pm UTC.
The start of the route is in the wake of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. Due to a very low infection rate in the Falkland Islands, Lufthansa will be really careful in making sure that their passengers do not spread the coronavirus to locals. Here are some of the measures in place to ensure a new outbreak does not happen there:
1: Quarantine
All passengers and crew onboard this flight will be required to serve a 14-day quarantine at a hotel in Bremerhaven, Germany, and will be sent via bus to Hamburg to board flight 2574 directly. This is done prior to boarding to ensure there is no risk of contamination in the Falkland Islands at all.
During their two-week quarantine, all the passengers participated in a 10000-step competition to keep fit and healthy for the flight! An essential measure when cooped up inside for a prolonged period of time!
2: Less local interaction
Upon arrival at Mount Pleasant, all the researchers will be sent to their final destination in an Antarctic research vessel, minimizing local contact. Also, no local cleaning equipment will be used to clean up the aircraft. Instead, cleaning equipment will be stored in the baggage hold in Frankfurt and the crew will clean the aircraft upon arrival.
3: Standard Infection control
All passengers will be subject to the airline’s usual Infection Control measures which include wearing a face covering onboard for the duration of the flight, strict hand-sanitising/washing routines, and physical distancing measures onboard.
A Little about Lufthansa
Lufthansa is a German international carrier that has a global network of 218 destinations in 80 countries (As of January 2021). They are also one of the founding members of Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline alliance.
Lufthansa also has a very diverse fleet of 16 aircraft types! Their fleet includes multiple Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer aircraft.
Have you ever flown on a Lufthansa A350? Comment below and let us know more about your experience!
