Lufthansa orders 25 new aircraft
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Lufthansa has ordered 25 new aircraft for EUR2.5 billion at list prices as it announced plans for its new growth strategy.
The 15 Airbus A320neo and 10 Airbus A320ceo will be used to renew the SWISS and Eurowings fleets respectively.
A320ceo deliveries will take place in 2016 and 2017 while the A320neos will be available from 2019.
The aircraft models will help the German airline group reduce its unit costs by being more fuel-efficient and quieter than its current Airbus and Bombardier fleet.
The group currently has 265 new aircraft on order.
The aircraft order was part of several announcements made from the airline group’s supervisory board meeting, which reiterated its intention to launch the new low-cost Wings concept.
Wings will focus on regional leisure traffic in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium although talks continue with Turkish Airlines over low-cost long-haul options under the Sun Express brand.
If it goes ahead the Sun Express venture would launch with flights from Munich, Dusseldorf and Cologne in autumn 2015.
In the meantime Lufthansa said 14 of its Airbus A340-300 aircraft will not have a first class cabin and instead offer 18 business class, 19 premium economy and 221 economy class seats.
The airline recently revealed its premium economy seat in London, with the new aircraft to serve leisure travel routes that it would have otherwise withdrawn from.
“The combination of our core brands’ focus on quality and the premium sector, and the development of new platforms for the leisure travel sector, which is experiencing dynamic growth but is also price-sensitive, is our way of working towards a successful future for the
Lufthansa Group airlines,” said Carsten Spohr, chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG.” This would strengthen the successful multi-hub system comprising the key hubs of Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna and Brussels.”
The carrier has already secured an agreement with cabin crew union Unabhängige Flugbegleiter Organisation (UFO) on safeguarding jobs on the newly-configured aircraft.
The pair have settled cost terms for the new aircraft as well as an outline for its new Wings concept, while also agreeing a roadmap for further talks around retirement benefit systems.
“We are pleased that we can continue talks in a constructive manner and in the interest of our employees. It shows that we and UFO are capable of fleshing out sustainable wage settlements and thus safeguarding long-term growth and employment at Lufthansa German Airlines,” said Bettina Volkens, chief officer corporate HR and legal affairs.
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