Lufthansa places major long-haul plane orders
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Lufthansa has agreed to purchase almost 60 new wide-body aircraft to revamp its long-haul fleet.
The German carrier has penned deals for up to 25 Airbus A350-900 and 34 Boeing 777-9X aircraft. But the size of the deal could more than double, with Lufthansa having options for a further 30 of each aircraft. In the A350 order, Lufthansa has the option of converting some of the options to the larger A350-1000 model.
“The A350 XWB suits Lufthansa’s entire network regarding size and range, and will be key to modernising our fleet while significantly reducing operational costs and our environmental footprint,” said Nico Buchholz, Lufthansa’s executive vice president of fleet management.
Lufthansa’s order for the B777-9Xs is dependent on the new fuel-efficient twin-aisle jet being officially launched by Boeing. The aircraft is still technically on the drawing board, but it is believed that Boeing intends to introduce the B777-X series before the end of the decade.
According to the US planemaker, the B777-9X, with around 400 seats, will be “the largest and most efficient twin-engine commercial jet in the world”, with 20% lower fuel consumption than the existing B777.
The Lufthansa long-haul fleet currently comprises more than 90 aircraft, including the Airbus A330, A340, A380 and Boeing 747-400 and B747-8 Intercontinental. The new aircraft are likely to replace the older A340s and B747-400s.
The Lufthansa Group also recently placed an order for six B777-300ERs for its SWISS subsidiary.
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