In the coming days, Lufthansa will operate 10 repatriation flights from New Zealand. It will use a mixed fleet of 5 x Airbus A380 and 5 x Boeing 747-400 / 8i. The flights will be operated from Auckland and Christchurch.
Since the beginning of the year, human life on the planet has been ravaged by the new coronavirus COVID-19. What at first seemed like a regional epidemic in China, has now kept billions of people in isolation. With the announcement of the global pandemic, governments of all countries have begun to take firm action for social distance. They closed borders, suspended flights, imposed drastic travel restrictions.
Repatriation flights from New Zealand, operated by Lufthansa
Hundreds of thousands of tourists have been trapped in different corners of the world. In addition to these, many citizens of this planet wanted to flee the virus to their countries of origin. The airlines cooperate with the authorities of each country and regularly organize repatriation flights.
Even Lufthansa has operated hundreds of special flights and prepares another 55 to repatriate Germans and Europeans from other continents. In the following period, Lufthansa will operate 10 special flights from New Zealand.
5 Airbus A380 aircraft (509 seats each) and 5 Boeing 747 aircraft (371 seats each) will fly from Auckland and Christchurch to Frankfurt. 210 crew members will be on board the aircraft, which will travel to the remote islands of the South Pacific. The flights will have a stopover in Bangkok for food and crew change. Even if there are special flights, rest periods will be respected.
On April 7 and April 8, the first aircraft will land in Frankfurt. We are talking about a Boeing 747-400 (D-ABVP), which will operate flight LH355, in the direction of Christchurch - Frankfurt via Bangkok. It will land on Tuesday, around 11:30 UTC. An Airbus A380 (D-AIMC) is expected to fly from Auckland on Wednesday, with the flight code being LH357.
At the time of publication of this article, the Boeing 747-400 (D-ABVP) took off from Christchurch to Bangkok (technical ladder), then will continue its flight to Frankfurt.
Refugee reception is being prepared with Fraport, the federal police and the health department.