Lufthansa Group’s leisure airline – Discover Airlines – is preparing for a big fleet upgrade, with the Airbus A350 planned to join the fleet.
The airline is progressing with its growth, with it planning to grow its fleet to 40 aircraft by mid-2028. Helping in that process will be the Airbus A350-900.
Discover Airlines will add four of the type from Mid-2027. The A350-900 could initially be used on existing Discover Airlines routes such as Windhoek or Orlando. Thanks to its range, it also offers the opportunity to fly to holiday destinations that are not accessible with the current fleet – for example, in South and Central America, southern Africa or Southeast Asia.
The path to 40 aircraft
Discover Airlines currently operates a fleet of 30 aircraft:
- 14 Airbus A330 long-haul aircraft
- 16 Airbus A320 short- and medium-haul Airbus A320 aircraft
In addition to the four Airbus A350s mentioned, other aircraft are also joining the fleet. Two additional Airbus A320s will be added to the short- and medium-haul route in 2026. Two more will follow by mid-2028, so the A320 fleet will include a total of 20 aircraft.
The fleet is also growing on the long-haul route: in 2026, three Airbus A330-200s will be removed from service as planned. At the same time, Discover Airlines is commissioning five Airbus A330-300s. Thus, the long-haul fleet comprises a total of 16 aircraft by the end of 2026, exclusively of the Airbus A330-300.
From 2027, all A330s will be equipped with a next-generation cabin in all three travel classes.
In Quotes
Bernd Bauer, CEO of Discover Airlines, said:
“With the further development and expansion of our fleet – including the planned deployment of the Airbus A350 – we continue to strengthen our existing offer, with even more comfort and attractive options for our guests. Additional aircraft, longer range and a new cabin product allow us to respond even better to the needs of the travelers. We look forward to flying even more people on holiday in the future and at the same time making an important contribution to strengthening the Lufthansa Group in the holiday and private travel segment. Now it is time to quickly create the conditions for the Airbus A350 to be incorporated.”
Fleet Simplification and Growth. Allegedly.
Whilst Lufthansa Group is striving for simplicity, it seems that it’s still happy to play with as many brands as possible to deliver content to its market segments.
Discover Airlines is trying simplification, which it’s doing by removing the Airbus A330-200 to consistently operate the Airbus A330-300 (the payload optimised configuration of the A330).. That’s well and good, but the airline at the same time plans to add Airbus A350-900, citing range availability.
The only range aircraft Dicover Airlines had was the A330-200 at 7,260 nmi, whereas the A350-900 gives a boost of 8,500 nautical miles – a good 1,240 nmi range boost.
We’ll have to see if Lufthansa Group can continue to simplify as things go on – but for now, range is the name of the game… as well as this long-promised A330 product refresh.
Economy Class and Beyond is brought to you by Kevin. They provide a no-nonsense guide to aviation network news, passenger experience insights, honest reviews, in-depth coverage, unique research, as well as the humour and madness I only know how to deliver.
Our Social Media pool has expanded. You can find us across most networks as @economybeyond on BlueSky, Threads, Mastodon and Instagram!
Also, remember that we are part of the BoardingArea community, bringing you the latest frequent flyer news from around the world.
Leave a Reply