First Luftwaffe A321neo

On 3 September 2021, Dirk Grothe photographed the first A321neo for the Luftwaffe (GAF, German Air Force) at Hamburg/Finkenwerder.

The aircraft, an A321-251NX with construction number 10613 and temporary registered D-AVXU, is painted in an all grey colour scheme with Luftwaffe titles and will receive 15+10 as its future serial.

In July 2020, Scramble Magazine reported that the GAF signed a contract with Lufthansa Technik for the the procurement of two Airbus A321Neo. Both aircraft will be modified with additional fuel tanks and the possibility of easy conversion of (part of) the cabin to a medical or mixed configuration. According to the Luftwaffe, recent experiences like the COVID-19 pandemic, have shown Germany has a need for this kind of capability.

The modification programme is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2022 after which the aircraft will be delivered to Flugbereitschaft des Bundesministeriums der Verteidigung (FBS BMVg) at Köln-Bonn/Wahn.

Photo by Dirk Grothe / Aviation Photography