Lufthansa to acquire ten long-haul aircraft to modernise fleet

Lufthansa has revealed plans to purchase ten long-haul aircraft from Boeing and Airbus as part of its fleet modernisation efforts.

The German carrier will buy five Airbus A350-900s and five Boeing 787-9 aircraft.

It will bring the carrier’s total firm orders for Boeing 787-9s and Boeing 777-9s to 45. The plans will also bring the total firm orders for the A350-900 to 45 aircraft.

Lufthansa will commence operation of the first Boeing B787-9 late next year and the remaining four planes in the first half of 2022 while five Airbus A350-900 are slated for delivery in 2027 and 2028.

The new aircraft will burn around 2.5l of fuel per passenger and 100km flown, which is approximately 30% less compared with the majority of existing long-haul aircraft types.

Deutsche Lufthansa executive board chairman and CEO Carsten Spohr said: “Even in these challenging times, we are continuing to invest in a more modern, more efficient and a lower-emission Lufthansa Group fleet.

“At the same time, we are pushing ahead with the modernisation of our long-haul fleet even faster than planned prior to the coronavirus pandemic due to anticyclical opportunities. The new aircraft is the most modern of their kind.

“We want to further expand our global leadership role, among other things, with cutting-edge premium products and a state-of-the-art fleet – especially because we have a responsibility to the environment.”

The investment falls under the framework agreement between the Economic Stabilization Fund of the Federal Republic of Germany (WSF) and Deutsche Lufthansa.

Under its fleet renewal programme, Lufthansa plans to take delivery of a total of 175 new aircraft by 2030.