Sharing the Wealth

On 02 March 2023, Lufthansa Group’s supervisory board approved the purchase of 22 wide-body aircraft worth $7.5-billion at list prices.

The order comprises: ten Airbus A350-1000s, five Airbus A350-900s, and seven Boeing 787-9s. Deliveries of subject aircraft are expected to commence by mid-decade.

Lufthansa, in addition to the 02 March order, intends to take delivery of a total of 108 long-haul aircraft, to include Boeing’s 777-9—a new iteration of the proven 787 Dreamliner that Boeing expects to see FAA type-certified in 2025.

After the fashion of similar initiatives recently undertaken by United Airlines and Air India, Lufthansa’s new wide-body airliners will serve to revitalize the German flag-carrier’s fleet, replacing aging aircraft such as Boeing’s 747-400, 777-200, and 767-300, as well as Airbus’s A340-600, A340-300, and A330-200. What’s more, the move will see quadjet models—which formerly accounted for approximately fifty-percent of Lufthansa’s in-service fleet—reduced to less than 15-percent of the airline’s total aircraft holdings.

All told, the Lufthansa Group’s standing aircraft orders number some two-hundred Boeing and Airbus jets, including short-and medium-haul aircraft of the Airbus A320neo persuasion. The group has also entered advanced negotiations to acquire additional long-haul aircraft which—for reasons as of yet unclear—Boeing and Airbus could be compelled, ostensibly, to make available in the near-term.

The fuel efficient fleet Lufthansa is systematically acquiring speaks to the airline’s commitment to decarbonization, as does a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) signed by Lufthansa and Airbus for purpose of strengthening the two companies’ cooperation in endeavors germane to sustainability and the development of green technologies. The MOU calls for greater use of sustainable aviation fuels, further optimization of operations through increasingly efficient flight management, and exploration of hydrogen powered aircraft propulsion systems.

Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr stated: “With our purchase of 22 further Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s, we have secured the delivery of more than fifty 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. ...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.”

FMI: www.lufthansa.com