Airlines Lufthansa orders 22 long-haul aircraft

Lufthansa Group has placed an order for 22 new long-haul aircraft with the two main manufacturers Airbus and Boeing. With a total list price of 7.5 billion US dollars, Lufthansa will accelerate its fleet modernization plans with these new aircraft.

The carrier will implement 10 Airbus A350-1000s, a new aircraft type for Lufthansa, then five A350-900s and also seven additional 787-9s. With the order, Lufthansa strengthens its cooperation with Airbus on sustainability and future technologies. The aircraft will contribute to achieving 2030 carbon emission goals.

According to Lufthansa, the A350-1000 will also be equipped with a First-Class cabin. The aircraft is expected to operate in premium-heavy markets.

With these latest orders, Lufthansa is about to take delivery of 108 latest-generation long-haul aircraft over the next couple years. In the medium term, this will see older and less environmentally friendly aircraft types like the Boeing 747-400, Airbus A340-300 and A340-600 leave the fleet.

Carsten Spohr, Chief Executive Officer of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, said: “With our purchase of 22 further Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s, we have secured the delivery of more than 50 latest-generation long-haul aircraft for the member airlines of the Lufthansa Group since the pandemic began. These aircraft will be equipped with our new long-haul cabins, including the latest-generation seats in all classes of travel. And the combination of our superb employees on the ground and on board, these highly advanced aircraft and our latest seating product on board will position our airlines well to the fore again within the premium segment. These new aircraft will also play a decisive role in helping us achieve our carbon emission reduction goals by 2030 as fuel-efficient aircraft which incorporate the latest manufacturing technology are by far the greatest lever for providing more climate protection within the aviation sector.”

The new aircraft consume about 2.5 litters of fuel per passenger per 100 kilometre, and are therefore up to 30 percent more fuel efficient than the predecessor aircraft types that are running on four and less efficient engines.

“In addition to the agreement on the purchase of the new aircraft, Airbus and Lufthansa have also signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ to further strengthen their cooperation in the field of sustainability and future technologies. This includes the intensified use of sustainable aviation fuels, the further optimization of operations through a more efficient flight management and exploration into the use of hydrogen,“ Lufthansa Group added.