It seems that Lufthansa Group is thinking about the future, as the airline has been shopping for aircraft, with a return to Boeing single-aisle aircraft.
In summary, they have ordered
- The purchase of 40 Airbus A220-300s and 20 purchasing options (60 aircraft in total)
- The purchase of 40 Boeing 737-8 MAX and 60 purchasing options (100 aircraft in total)
- Purchasing options for 40 additional aircraft of the Airbus A320 family
All in all, the airline placed a firm order for 80 aircraft from Boeing and Airbus, with options for a further 120.
The order is valued at US$9 billion at list prices (although Airbus hasn’t published list prices in some years).
In terms of operation, the A220-300s will be intended for use by the newly founded airline Lufthansa City Airlines and will be deployed on short-haul routes from Frankfurt and Munich. With its ultra-modern geared turbofan engines from Pratt & Whitney, the A220-300 is ideal for use in feeder traffic. The first aircraft is scheduled for delivery in 2026, through 2031.
Meanwhile, the Boeing 737 MAX 8s will see work around the Lufthansa group – but not with SWISS and Lufthansa itself as those airlines’ growth and replacement have been planned already – thus expect them around other parts of the group. The first aircraft is expected in the third quarter of 2027, through 2032.
The 40 Airbus A320 options are just that – purchase options in case Lufthasna wishes to activate those.
In Quotes
Dr. Detlef Kayser, Member of the Executive Board, Fleet and Technology:
“With today’s aircraft order, we are accelerating the largest fleet modernization in our company’s history. This increases our order list of around 200 aircraft to 280 – plus an additional 120 purchasing options for further state-of-the-art short- and medium-haul aircraft. We are pleased that both Airbus and Boeing were able to convince us on all commercial and technological aspects. In addition to this, the decision for the Boeing 737-8 MAX will also give us more flexibility for the procurement of short- and medium-haul aircraft in the future. The new ultra-modern aircraft offer our guests additional comfort. They are also quieter, more economical, more efficient, and emit up to 30 percent less CO2 than their predecessor models. The order demonstrates our airlines’ future viability and ability to invest, and it shows that we are living up to our responsibility to reduce our carbon emissions.”
A return to Boeing single-alise
Lufthansa has been has mostly been operating Airbus single alise aircraft, after the retirement of the Boeing 737-300 and 737-500 in 2016. Airbus will be happy enough however, with it utilising the A220-300, as well as having extra purchase options for the A320 family.
However, it’s a warning shot over Airbus’s bow to drive its production as well as manage its prices… even as the aircraft manufacturer lines up further order announcements…
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