Potentially looking to add six used Airbus A350-900s to its fleet is Lufthansa.
To increase its capacity for the forthcoming peak travel season, Lufthansa may buy six more Airbus A350-900s that were previously used by other airlines, such as LATAM and South African Airlines.
According to data from planespotters.net, the six Airbus 350-900 aircraft with the registrations N285BN, N286BN, N287BN, N264AR, OE-IPX, and OE-IPK are scheduled to arrive at the German carrier. Previous owners of the N285BN, N286BN, N287BN, and N264AR were LATAM Airlines Brazil, a division of the LATAM Airlines Group.
Data from ch-aviation.com indicates that all four ex-LATAM Airlines Brazil A350s are now owned by Deucalion Aviation and left the carrier’s fleet sometime in 2021.
The aircraft were delivered to LATAM Airlines Brazil in May 2016, August 2016, December 2016, and December 2019, respectively. They are now registered as N285BN, N286BN, N287BN, and N264AR. The last airline to fly OE-IPX and OE-IPK was South African Airlines.
According to statistics from ch-aviation.com, both Airbus A350-900s that were retired from the South African airline’s fleet in 2020 are owned by Avolon. Previous to that, Hainan Airlines operated both for just nine months, from January to October 2019, using the aircraft.
In the event that the transaction proceeds, it won’t be the first time that Lufthansa has added used Airbus A350-900s to its fleet. The market had “an enlarged range of modern aircraft available at favorable terms and subject to short delivery periods” because “several airlines cancelled orders at short notice and ended leases ahead of schedule” during the pandemic, according to the airline’s 2022 annual report.
As a result, Lufthansa received four Airbus A350-900s from a lease that was early terminated and five Boeing 787-9s from an order that was cancelled.
“Their orders benefited from reasonable buy and lease rates, quick delivery timeframes, and favorable purchasing pricing. Two 787-9s were delivered in the second half of 2022, compared to all four A350-900s being delivered in the first half of 2022, the study said.
ch-aviation.com data indicates that all four Airbus A350-900s received by Lufthansa in H1 2022 were formerly owned by Philippines Airlines.
For a response, AeroTime contacted Deucalion Aviation, Avolon, and Lufthansa.
