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Lufthansa Increases Widebody Orders

A Lufthansa A350 taxis in Munich. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Fabian Behr)

Lufthansa Group announced on Monday the expansion of its widebody orders with the acquisition of five additional Airbus A350-900s and other five Boeing B787-9s. This operation is part of the modernization process of the German carrier, which aims to reduce the average age of its long-haul fleet.

The first 787-8s flying with the Lufthansa colors are expected to be delivered during the winter, while the new A350-900s will join the German fleet in 2027 and 2028. These aircraft will replace the A340-300s and A340-600s that the company decided to retire as a result of the pandemic impact.

With these five additional A350-900s, Lufthansa reaches a total order of 45 aircraft of this model to be delivered following a restructured plan agreed with Airbus. According to its fleet information, Lufthansa operates 17 A350-900s with a total capacity of 293 seats divided into 48 business, 21 premium and 244 economy seats.

On the other hand, the German carrier has another 45 Boeing 787-9s and 777-9s on order for the next years. The additional five confirmed today were supposed to be delivered to another company; however, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many carriers to restructure and cancel their growth plans. After several conversations with Boeing, Lufthansa managed to buy five new aircraft already constructed and also restructured the future delivery plan.

Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, 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 modernization of our long-haul fleet even faster than planned prior to the coronavirus pandemic due to anticyclical opportunities.

“The new aircraft are 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,” Spohr continued.

Lufthansa Commitment to Sustainability

Apart from retiring older aircraft and replacing them with the state-of-the-art new A350-900s and B787-9s, the German carrier has also announced the implementation of a revolutionary technology in their cargo department. From 2022, every Boeing B777 freighter Lufthansa flies will be equipped with the AeroSHARK technology developed by Lufthansa Technik and BASF. This innovative surface technology improves fuel efficiency and helps airlines to reach sustainability targets.

“The aviation industry is facing similar challenges to the chemical industry: ongoing progress must be made with climate protection despite high energy requirements. By collaborating closely and successfully combining our know-how in surface design and aerodynamics, we have now succeeded in taking a major step forward. This is an excellent example of sustainability in practice, achieved through partnership-based collaboration and innovative technologies,” said Dr. Markus Kamieth, Member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF.

Arturo Higueras
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  • Arturo Higueras

    Arturo joined AirlineGeeks in 2020 as a writer. He is a Spanish Aerospace Engineer who recently completed his undergraduate studies at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. He has always been passionate about aviation and, in addition to his engineering knowledge, he is now completing a Master’s Degree in Air Transport Management at Cranfield University in the United Kingdom. Being passionate about journalism, he has been part of several online magazine projects, he will now be covering aviation news from Europe.

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