Category Archives: Germanwings (2nd)

Lufthansa Cargo to bring home the remains of the victims of Germanwings flight 4U9525

Lufthansa Group (Frankfurt) tomorrow (June 9) will operate a special Lufthansa Cargo (Frankfurt) McDonnell Douglas MD-11F flight from Marseille to Dusseldorf which will bring home the remains of the victims of Germanwings (Cologne/Bonn) ill-fate flight 4U9525 which crashed in the French Alps. Transfer of the remains to the victim’s families will occur on June 10. Lufthansa Cargo will operate more flights in the coming weeks until the end of June. The group issued this statement:

Lufthansa is working with all its available resources to ensure the repatriation and transfer of victims of the Germanwings flight 4U9525 to the relatives in the originally planned schedule. To start off the repatriation flights, Lufthansa will arrange at short notice a special flight with a MD-11 of Lufthansa Cargo from Marseille to Dusseldorf. The plane will take off from Marseille on June 9 at 20:50 and is expected at Dusseldorf at 22:30. There will be 30 coffins of the victims of flight 4U9525 on board.

The repatriation of the victims was initially scheduled for next week. At short notice, however, a delay had resulted due to regulatory requirements. The Federal Government Commissioner for the victims’ relatives had then turned immediately to the authorities and received assurances that preparations for repatriation could be made immediately.

After this first special flight to Dusseldorf, the other victims will be gradually transferred to their home countries in the coming weeks. The French authorities are working hard in order to create the formal conditions for the transfer of the victims as soon as possible. Lufthansa is in close contact with the relatives to ensure that the transfer of the victims is carried out according to the relatives’ wishes.

Copyright Photo: Pascal Simon/AirlinersGallery.com. McDonnell Douglas MD-11F D-ALCM (msn 48805) departs from the Frankfurt cargo hub.

Lufthansa Cargo aircraft slide show:

Lufthansa Group reports a first quarter profit of €425 million ($474 million)

The Lufthansa Group (Frankfurt) reported a net profit of €425 million ($474 million) for the first quarter. Here is the full report:

The Lufthansa Group has reported a positive course of business for the first quarter of 2015. At total revenue of nearly 8 per cent higher, the EBIT and adjusted EBIT both rose by EUR 73m. Both key performance indicators were thus 30 per cent higher than in the previous year. The Group closed the first quarter with an adjusted EBIT of EUR -167 m (previous year: EUR -240 m).

Simone Menne, Chief Officer Finance and Aviation Services of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, says: “All operating business segments were able to increase their results in the first quarter. Above all, Swiss International Air Lines (Zurich) and Lufthansa Cargo (Frankfurt) have done better than in the previous year. But Lufthansa German Airlines has also shown a positive development, although it was worse hit by strikes and other one-off effects than in the previous year.”

The Group result rose significantly more strongly than the adjusted EBIT in the reporting period. With a plus of EUR 677 m in comparison with the same quarter in the previous year, the Lufthansa Group achieved a consolidated result of EUR 425 m. An extraordinary effect from the premature exchange of JetBlue swaps made a significant contribution to this development. This transaction alone improved the financial result without an effect on equity by EUR 503m.

The result was once again overshadowed by the consequences of the strike called by the trade union Cockpit among the pilots of Lufthansa German Airlines, Lufthansa Cargo and Germanwings on a total of six days between January and March 2015. Flight cancellations caused by strikes led to a burden on the result of EUR 42m. Due to weaker advance bookings in the following quarters as a consequence of the strike, Lufthansa expects a further burden on the result of EUR 58m.

Cash flows, which are important in view of high total investments, developed positively in the reporting period. Cash flow from operating activities rose to EUR 1,394m (previous year: EUR 855m), the free cash flow improved to EUR 532m (previous year: EUR 195m).

The actuarial interest rate for valuing pension obligations declined further in the first three months of the year, in Germany from 2.6 per cent to 1.7 per cent now. Thus the arithmetic pension burden rose by EUR 3.4bn. This was contrasted with a growth in pension assets of around EUR 500m. The equity ratio fell by 5.7 percentage points to 7.5 per cent now.

“This development shows once again how volatile the key figure ‘equity ratio’ has become since the introduction of the new IFRS accounting standards. We are not alone in this situation. However, other groups have already made the necessary structural change from a cover oriented to a contributions oriented pension commitment. Here, more urgently than ever, we need sustainably financeable solutions in place of obsolete structures. We can only achieve this together with our collective bargaining partners,” says Simone Menne.

Operating costs and income showed strong fluctuations in comparison with the same quarter in the previous year. What was decisive here was the significantly lower oil price, the continuing weakness of the euro and low interest rates. Fuel costs were EUR 209m lower than in the same quarter in the previous year, while expenses on fees went up by nearly 7 per cent, despite the lower number of flights and passengers. The weak euro and the rise in pension expenses also led to an increase in staff costs of nearly 7 per cent.

Simone Menne summarised the interim report for the first three months of the year: “We see positive developments in the result and in cash flow. This shows we are on the right course. At the same time, we continue to see great pressure to act. The enormous pension burdens are putting considerable pressure on our equity. And we cannot accept the continuing increase in fees or the development of our unit costs. Great efforts remain to be made here in order to strengthen the international competitiveness of all the business segments of the Lufthansa Group.”

Copyright Photo: Rolf Wallner/AirlinersGallery.com. Swiss and Lufthansa Cargo did better than in the same quarter than the previous year. The aging Swiss Airbus A340-300s will be replaced with the new Boeing 777-300 ERs on order. A340-313 HB-JMK (msn 169) taxies at the Zurich hub.

Swiss aircraft slide show:

The New York Times: FAA raised questions about Andreas Lubitz’s depression before Germanings crash

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) (Washington) raised questions in 2010 on whether it should have granted a pilot’s license to Andreas Lubitz according to report by the New York Times. Lubitz in March flew his Germanwings Airbus A320 into a mountain in the French Alps killing all aboard.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Germanwings’ Lubitz informed the Pilot School that he had a “previous episode of severe depression”, Lufthansa cancels its 60th Anniversary celebrations

Germanwings’ (2nd) (Cologne/Bonn) First Officer Andreas Lubitz “informed the Flight Training Pilot School in 2009, in the medical documents he submitted in connection with resuming his flight training, about a “previous episode of severe depression” according to a Lufthansa statement after an internal review. Despite this, Lubitz was deemed fit to fly after receiving his medical certificate.

Lufthansa has issued this full statement:

The co-pilot of Germanwings flight 4U 9525 interrupted his pilot training at the Flight Training Pilot School for several months. Thereafter the co-pilot received the medical certificate confirming his fitness to fly.

To ensure a swift and seamless clarification, Lufthansa – after further internal investigations – has submitted additional documents to the Düsseldorf Public Prosecutor, particularly training and medical documents. These also include the email correspondence of the copilot with the Flight Training Pilot School. In this correspondence he informed the Flight Training Pilot School in 2009, in the medical documents he submitted in connection with resuming his flight training, about a “previous episode of severe depression”.

Lufthansa will continue to provide the investigating authorities with its full and unlimited support. We therefore ask for your understanding that we cannot provide any further statements at this time, because we do not wish to anticipate the ongoing investigation by the Düsseldorf Public Prosecutor.

As already confirmed last Thursday to the public the co-pilot held a fully valid class 1 medical certificate during flight duty on March 24, 2015.

In other news, Lufthansa is canceling its 60th Anniversary celebrations. The company issued this statement:

Out of respect for the crash victims of flight 4U 9525 Lufthansa is canceling the originally planned festivities for the 60th anniversary of the company, which was planned for April 15, 2015.

Instead of the originally planned anniversary event, Lufthansa will provide a live broadcast for its employees, of the official state ceremony in the Cologne Cathedral on the 17th of April 2015, where the bereaved families and friends will gather to remember the victims.

Photo: FO Andreas Lubitz from his Facebook page.

Germanwings pilot Andreas Lubitz hid a medical illness from the airline

German investigators have discovered a medical leave note from a doctor issued for Germanwings first officer Andreas Lubitz (above) that included the day of the French Alps crash, the Dusseldorf public prosecutor’s office said, according to CNN.

Lubitz tore up the medical leave slips and kept the undisclosed illness secret from his employer. It is suspected the illness could have prevented him from advancing in his aviation career.

Note: The German prosecutor has just confirmed it was a medical illness (not a mental condition). It has been reported he was deemed “unfit for work” and was hiding this information according to German investigators.

Read the full story from CNN: CLICK HERE

Video message by Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr:

Lufthansa CEO and Germanwings CEO: We are “speechless and shocked”

Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr and Germanwings CEO Thomas Winkelmann just held a press conference in Cologne, Germany. Both CEOs (translated from German) said they were “speechless” and “shocked” at the latest developments. CEO Spohr confirmed the French prosecutor’s conclusion that the First Officer (FO) Andreas Lubitz, 28, denied access to the cockpit to the Captain and intentionally activated the descent and crashed the Germanwings Airbus A320 into the mountain.

FO Lubitz began training in 2008 and was hired in September 2013 and had 630 hours flying time. FO Lubitz passed all flight and medical tests. FO Lubitz “interrupted” his training for unknown reasons (but this is not uncommon). Lufthansa Group pilots do not go through psychological testing.

According to Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr, FO Andreas Lubitz was “100% fit to fly”. He continued, it remains a mystery and they have no idea why the FO would do this.

Above Photo: First Officer Andreas Lubitz on his Facebook page.

CEO Spohr also confirmed the pilot in the cockpit could override the code by keeping the door locked.

Unlike U.S. airlines, Lufthansa and Germanwings do not have a procedure to prevent a pilot from being alone in the cockpit. When asked if they would change their procedure to have a Flight Attendant enter the cockpit when one of the pilots leaves the cockpit, CEO Spohr said he did not see the need to change their current procedures but would review all of its cockpit procedures with experts.

Should European airlines have a “two person” cockpit rule? Please vote in the informal poll below:

Will Lufthansa retire the Germanwings brand earlier?

Lufthansa (Frankfurt), in the wake of the tragic crash of Germanwings (2nd) (Cologne/Bonn) flight 4U 9225 in the French Alps, is facing some tough decisions on the future of its low-cost subsidiaries. Before the crash, Lufthansa was planning to gradually phase out the Germanwings brand and shift a number of routes to the new Eurowings (Dusseldorf) low-cost brand.

According to Airline Route, on October 25, 2015, a total of 55 Germanwings routes (and the 4U code) operating from Cologne/Bonn, Dusseldorf and Hamburg were due to be transferred to Eurowings and the EW code.

The Germanwings brand was expected to be gradually phased out with no end date specified. However with this tragic loss and the now apparent criminal act, will Lufthansa close out the tarnished Germanwings brand sooner?

Lufthansa has touted the success of its low-cost subsidiaries. Is this strategy now in jeopardy with the tragic loss of Germanwings flight 4U 9225?

Fortune explores this question: CLICK HERE

Top Copyright Photo: The current red and orange brand was introduced with much fanfare in 2012. Airbus A319-112 D-AKNT (msn 2607) taxies at London (Heathrow).

Germanwings aircraft slide show:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Arnd Wolf/AirlinersGallery.com. The ill-fated Airbus A320-211 D-AIPX (msn 147) is pictured taxiing at the Cologne/Bonn hub in the previous 2002 yellow and maroon livery.

Current route map from Cologne/Bonn:

Breaking News: Brice Robin: The Germanwings First Officer “accelerated the descent” in a “deliberate attempt to destroy the aircraft”

Brice Robin, Marseille Public Prosecutor, has just held a live press conference in Marseille (Marselles in English), France. According to the prosecutor, First Officer Andreas Lubitz, 28, a German citizen, intentionally locked the cockpit door and locked out the Captain. According to the prosecutor, the First Officer “accelerated the descent” to “deliberately attempt to destroy the aircraft”. The First Officer was heard to be breathing normally, eliminating the medical emergency theory.

Screams were heard by passengers at the end as the Airbus A320 slammed into the mountain.

150 people died in the tragic crash.

Since the accident is now an apparent crime, the BEA (Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses pour la sécurité de l’aviation civile), the Police and the Public Prosecutor will continue the investigation.

New York Times: One Germanwings pilot was locked out of the cockpit before the crash

French investigators struggled according to the New York Times to explain why one Germanwings pilot was locked out of the cockpit before the tragic crash. French investigators announced this dramatic turn of factual events after reviewing the cockpit voice recorder. One pilot left the cockpit before the descent started. The locked-out pilot is heard banging on the door to attempt to gain entrance.

Lufthansa and Germanwings have not yet officially commented on this stunning report. French investigators did go further in trying to explain the odd actions.

A news conference is now scheduled for March 26.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

The New York Times has published a follow-up report: CLICK HERE

Lufthansa has issued this statement:

Lufthansa will offer special flights to Marseille for the next of kin of flight 4U 9525 passengers.

Airline to provide two special flights from Barcelona and Dusseldorf to Marseille.
Lufthansa will provide two special flights to Marseille for the relatives and friends of passengers of Germanwings flight 4U 9525. The flights operated by Lufthansa on behalf of Germanwings will depart Dusseldorf en route to Marseille tomorrow at 8.40 CET and take off from Barcelona to Marseille at 8.45 CET. Relatives and friends will be taken care of by Lufthansa and Germanwings employees at a special assistance center in Marseille.

Germanwings and Lufthansa will continue to provide all the care and assistance needed by relatives and friends of passengers of flight 4U 9525 in this difficult situation.

French investigators reach the Germanwings crash site, all 150 dead, weather is an issue today

French investigators reached the rugged mountain crash site of Germanwings flight 4U 9525 late yesterday afternoon (March 24). All 150 people on board are dead including 67 Germans and 45 Spaniards. The remains of the crashed Airbus A320-211 D-AIPX (msn 147) is scattered on the mountainside in the French Alps as the airliner smashed into the mountain located between Digne and Barcelonnette, France.

None of the remains have been recovered due to the harsh weather conditions today. Snow is forecasted for the remote area today.

The priority today will be the recovery of the remains.

Lufthansa and Germanwings called for a minute’s silence today at 10.53 a.m. to commemorate the victims of 4U 9525.

According to Airbus, the ill-fated A320-211 (D-AIPX, msn 147) was “delivered to Lufthansa from the production line in 1991. The aircraft had accumulated approximately 58,300 flight hours in some 46,700 flights. It was powered by CFM 56-5A1 engines.”

According to CNN, “The cockpit voice recorder recovered from the crash site is damaged, but officials will be able to reconstruct it in the coming hours, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told French radio station RTL.”

The flight data recorder is reportedly still missing.

There was no distress call from the cockpit.

Read the full report from CNN: CLICK HERE

Lufthansa, on behalf of its subsidiary Germanwings, issued this statement:

We must confirm to our deepest regret that Germanwings Flight 4U 9525 from Barcelona to Düsseldorf has suffered an accident over the French Alps. The flight was being operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft, and was carrying 144 passengers and six crew members.

Lufthansa and Germanwings have established a telephone hotline. The toll-free 00800 11 33 55 77 number is available to all the families of the passengers involved for care and assistance.
Everyone at Germanwings and Lufthansa is deeply shocked and saddened by these events. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the passengers and crew members.

“We do not know exactly what happened to Flight 4U 9525. Our thoughts are now with all the relatives and friends of our passengers and crew. We will do everything possible in order to provide further information.”

Carsten Spohr

Meanwhile, Lufthansa’s pilots have called off for now any further strikes against Lufthansa or Germanwings.

Video: Raw footage of the crash site: