Lufthansa to launch Airbus A350-1000 on Munich–Tokyo from 3 December

Lufthansa has chosen Tokyo Haneda for the first commercial flight of its new Airbus A350-1000, which will depart Munich on 3 December 2026, according to AeroTime. The airline announced the plan on 15 October 2026. Shanghai and Singapore are due to follow within weeks, so passengers on those Munich routes may find themselves on the new aircraft.

Delivery and first aircraft

The first of 15 A350-1000s is registered D-AIFA and named Deutschland. AeroTime says it is at Airbus's Toulouse facility and is due for delivery in mid-November 2026, after a first test flight of about three and a half hours roughly a week before the announcement. One Mile at a Time reports that three more aircraft are expected before the end of the year, and that this one will be the 700th Airbus delivered to the Lufthansa Group.

The aircraft wears the special centenary livery and becomes the seventh in the airline's anniversary fleet. All 15 aircraft are due by 2030. The first 10 will be based in Munich; AeroTime notes that the Lufthansa Group has not said where the other five will go.

Cabins and seats

According to One Mile at a Time, the A350-1000 will have 300 seats in four cabins with the Allegris product:

• 4 first class seats (the site notes that is effectively 3.5)
• 49 business class seats
• 35 premium economy seats
• 212 economy seats

The A350-900 has 267 seats: 4 first, 38 business, 24 premium economy and 201 economy. The larger aircraft therefore adds 11 seats in each of the three cabins other than first. Heiko Reitz, Lufthansa's Munich hub manager, said the new flagship has 40 per cent more Business and Premium Economy seats and that it "strengthens our premium hub in Munich".

Routes and rollout

Lufthansa said all flights on the initial routes will feature Allegris and be flown alternately by the A350-1000 and the A350-900. One Mile at a Time points out that the aircraft will not operate the routes daily at first, and notes that the first route is not to North America. It adds that Chicago and Newark are expected to be the first US cities, with no timeline yet.

AeroTime lists the other operators of the type as Qatar Airways, British Airways, Emirates and Virgin Atlantic, citing ch-aviation data. Qatar Airways has the most active aircraft with 29, followed by British Airways with 18.

What this means for travellers

• From 3 December 2026, the new aircraft is due to operate Munich to Tokyo Haneda, but only on some departures, as the A350-900 will alternate with it. Check the aircraft type when booking if the new cabins matter to you.
• Shanghai and Singapore are expected within weeks of the Tokyo launch; exact start dates were not given in the sources.
• Both aircraft types are to carry the Allegris cabins, so the new seats should appear on the A350-900 flights too, though the A350-1000 has more business and premium economy seats.
• First class remains a single row of four seats, so availability will be limited.
• US services to Chicago and Newark are expected to come later, with no date confirmed.

Delivery timing is still an expectation and could shift before the December launch.

Compare the airline with rivals on our Lufthansa vs Qatar Airways page, or see the Lufthansa airline page.

Sources: AeroTime; One Mile at a Time.