Instead of just the one down the middle, two aisles now led along a much wider cabin, dispelling all notions of confinement – and making service and communication much easier on long flights. A liberating feeling, a new era in aviation. But the joy wasn‘t to remain unadulterated for very long. Prices for crude oil, raw material for the kerosene so indispensable to flying, exploded. First in 1973 and then again in 1979 – two oil crises.
This resulted in tur- bulences in the world economy, striking international civil aviation with conse- quences that were tough to deal with. Lufthansa‘s engineers, as well as aircraft and engine manufacturers, applied their combined expertise to reduce fuel con- sumption – and were successful in their quest. A new awareness, a greater understanding in using our resources began to shape the collective thinking process.