Lufthansa unveiled the first of 25 Airbus A350-900s Feb. 2 in Munich after Lufthansa Technik completed the cabin installation. The aircraft, which was delivered to Lufthansa in December 2016, is scheduled to begin Munich-Delhi services Feb. 10. Lufthansa Technik said, “The required cabin installations are complete and the supplemental type certificate has been issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency. The aircraft is technically cleared to enter scheduled service.” The Star Alliance member has 25 Rolls-Royce Trent-powered A350-900 aircraft on order, valued at $310 million each at list prices, which will gradually replace its A340-600 fleet. The first 10 A350s will be deployed on long-haul routes from Munich to Delhi and Boston. A second of the type will join the fleet by the end of February; a total of seven A350s will be delivered this year. The 293-seat aircraft is configured for 48 seats in business, 21 in premium economy, and 224 in economy class. The A350 is equipped with Lufthansa’s latest cabin products, including new seats, inflight entertainment and inflight connectivity in all classes.<br/>
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A Swiss International Air Lines Boeing 777-300ER is being inspected after making an unscheduled landing in Iqaluit, Canada. The aircraft, powered by GE Aviation GE90 engines, was en route from Zurich to Los Angeles Feb. 1, operating as flight LX40. “Following a malfunction message, the aircraft’s left engine automatically shut down, as it is programmed to do,” SWISS spokesperson Stefan Vasic said. “In response to this, the flight crew decided to make a precautionary landing at Iqaluit Airport in Canada.” He added that the flight “landed safely and without any problems in Iqaluit.” SWISS said it has dispatched aircraft engineers to Iqaluit to determine the cause of the engine issue and decide how to proceed. A GE Aviation spokesperson said: “The preliminary focus is on the transfer gearbox, so we are working around the clock to get the hardware back to GE for a detailed assessment. [There are] no other GE90 fleet actions associated with this event at this time.”<br/>
Turkish Airlines’ highly visible sponsorship of Fox's pregame show raised some eyebrows on social media, given both the current political climate in the US and the situation in Turkey, where authoritarian policies and a crackdown on free speech over the last two years have drawn criticism from the West. Turkish Airlines, which is partly privatized but remains largely a state-owned company, has dabbled in Americans sport sponsorships before and had an endorsement deal with Kobe Bryant. But the advertisements drew significant attention Sunday, particularly given President Trump’s executive order last weekend that targeted travel from seven Muslim-majority countries (Turkey wasn’t one of them). The Super Bowl sponsorship was part of a larger marketing tie-in for Turkish Airlines, which was making the Super Bowl broadcast available on all flights Sunday that had an Internet connection. The deal to sponsor the Super Bowl was signed in early 2016 as part of a global strategy for Turkish Airlines aimed at major sporting events. “We not only carry our guests to the most countries worldwide, but we also aim to organize a flight that offers the best passenger experience at the highest level. We are excited to offer American Football experience with Super Bowl to our passengers at thousands of feet of elevation, and also debut our new commercial video on this broadcast,” Turkish Airlines chief marketing officer Ahmet Olmustur said.<br/>