Air Canada has reopened two of its European airport Maple Leaf lounges following refurbishment projects. The carrier’s press office has provided Business Traveller with new images of both lounges, but said that at present it has no further information to provide on the renovations. However Canadian website pointsmilesnadbling.com reports that the Heathrow T2 lounge has benefited from upgraded lighting and new works by Canadian artist Nicolas Ruel. Capacity has also been increased to 149 seats. It’s the latest in a raft of recent lounge developments at the Queen’s Terminal, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. A No1 Lounge opened earlier this month, while Singapore Airlines opened its refurbished Silverkris lounges at the terminal in August, and Aer Lingus’ unveiled its refreshed lounge the following month.<br/>
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Lufthansa agreed to buy five more Airbus SE A350-1000 long-range aircraft in a deal valued at about E2b at list price, as it retires older planes and awaits delivery of delayed models from Boeing Co. The additional aircraft will be delivered between 2028 and 2030, Lufthansa said in a statement on Friday. They will complement the 10 units that the carrier has already ordered of Airbus’s largest plane, cementing the German company’s status as the planemaker’s largest operator worldwide. Lufthansa needs more long-range planes because the company still relies on older models like the Airbus A340 and the Boeing 747 jumbo for some international routes. While the company has also ordered modern planes from Boeing, Lufthansa has suffered holdups on those models, with more than 10 of its completed 787 Dreamliners still awaiting delivery because of seat certification issues, and the larger 777X not yet in commercial service. “In the medium term, the highly efficient twin-engine long-haul jets are slated to replace four-engine aircraft types that are gradually being phased out,” Lufthansa said. “These include the Boeing 747-400, Airbus A340-600 and Airbus A340-300 aircraft types.” <br/>
ANA Holdings has acquired the remaining 7% stake in Peach Aviation from Hong Kong-based First Eastern Aviation Holdings, assuming full control of the low-cost carrier. "As we anticipate a further increase of inbound tourists, the decision to make Peach a wholly owned subsidiary is designed to build on previous growth, strengthen ANA Group's business portfolio and increase profits. ANA Holdings will continue to actively develop demand to increase inbound tourists, with the goal of attracting 60m visitors and encouraging regional revitalisation," the ANA - All Nippon Airways parent said in a statement. Peach Aviation was incorporated in 2011 as a tripartite joint venture between ANA Holdings, First Eastern Aviation Holdings, and Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ), each with a third of the shares. ANA Holdings acquired a majority stake in the airline from the other two shareholders in 2017, when it consolidated the subsidiary, and subsequently bought out first INCJ, and now First Eastern Aviation Holdings.<br/>