There have now been orders for 22 further twinjets totaling $7.5 billion.
Today, the Lufthansa Group disclosed that it had increased its orders for widebodies from both significant aircraft manufacturers. According to the German airline group, the purchase consists of 15 A350s in both types and seven additional Boeing 787-9s.
The announcement was made the same week that the airline unveiled its new Allegris cabin design at a prestigious Berlin event. The airline also disclosed today that Carsten Spohr’s tenure as Group CEO had been extended by five years by the group’s supervisory board.
22 more aircraft orders
The widebody orders placed by the Lufthansa Group have increased by 22 aircraft. The following aircraft orders have now been authorized by the airline’s supervisory board to be added to the current order books,
five Airbus A350 900
ten Airbus A350 XWBs
Boeing 787-9 7 times
The estimated value of the current transaction is $7.5 billion. The group claims it is also negotiating to board other widebody aircraft that are readily accessible.
The most likely explanation for this is because other carriers gave up their production slots. It’s important to remember that one of these planes, originally intended for Vistara and then Hainan Airlines, ended up being Lufthansa’s first Boeing 787.
108 orders for long-haul aircraft, including the Airbus A350, Boeing 787, and Boeing 777X, are still pending for the firm. While most of these will go to Lufthansa, some of them will probably go to other carriers in the group.
improving the fuel efficiency of the fleet
The major objective of today’s procurement, according to Lufthansa, is to replace outdated aircraft rather than grow the fleet. The Boeing 747-400, Airbus A340-300, and Airbus A340-600, together with the Airbus A330-200, Boeing 767-300, and Boeing 777-200, are now all in the firing line, which is horrible news for anyone who enjoys flying quadjets.
The carrier’s widebody fleet consisted of 50% quad jets when it entered the pandemic. In the “medium-term future,” it is hoped to retire these six varieties, reducing the overall percentage down to about 15%. Prior to the Boeing 777X delivery, the Boeing 747-400s were scheduled for retirement. It’s interesting how the airline seems to imply that the current ruling will let their retirement.
Given that the Boeing 747-8s have an average age of less than ten years, it seems doubtful that they will vanish very soon. It’s interesting that Lufthansa didn’t discuss getting rid of the Airbus A380.
Three aircraft are now scheduled to return to the sky this summer to fly to American locations, despite the carrier’s previous declaration that it will retire the entire fleet. While the absence of an Airbus A380 reference may indicate that the model would stay in service a little while longer, it is also possible that the model was left out because the airline already views it as effectively retired.
