Lufthansa Orders New Airbus A350-1000 and more Boeing 787-9
The German airline group has increased its order with Boeing and Airbus to 100 new wide-body planes
Photo: Courtesy of Airbus SAS
German flag carrier Lufthansa has confirmed an order for 22 wide-body Airbus and Boeing planes worth $7.5 billion at list prices, set to join the airline’s group during the ongoing decade. The news comes in one day after the airline unveiled its new premium cabins, which will be installed on these new planes when delivered.
The mixed order includes the Airbus A350-1000, which would debut as the newest aircraft type to join Lufthansa’s diverse fleet. However, it is unclear whether the plane variant will join Lufthansa or one of its subsidiaries, Swiss International Air Lines, Eurowings, Austrian Airlines, or Brussels Airlines.
Photo: Courtesy of Lufthansa
As noted by the airline, the commitment with both planemakers includes five A350-900s, ten A350-1000s, and seven Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, adding to the already robust tally of 100 planes on order, which also includes the delayed Boeing 777-9.
With this, Lufthansa becomes one of the world’s largest operators of both Boeing and Airbus wide-body planes. The group will operate a robust fleet of next-generation Airbus A350-900/-1000, A380, Boeing 777-9, 787-9, and 747-8.
Airbus & Lufthansa: Keeping Traditions Alive
With this new order, Lufthansa reinforces its long-standing relationship with the European planemaker. According to Airbus, the German airline group has been part of its family since the early days. “Since the A300 in the 1970s, Lufthansa Group has operated all members of the Airbus product family, from the A220, A320-Family, A330 / A340, A350, and the A380.”
“We are honored to see Lufthansa topping up its A350 order book to a total of 60 aircraft, joining the increasing number of A350-1000 customers around the world,” said Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer.
Photo: Courtesy of Airbus SAS
“By adding the largest A350 family member to its fleet, Lufthansa will benefit from Airbus’ full fleet commonality, offering unmatched operational flexibility and vast economic benefits.”
With travel demand picking up after the COVID-19 pandemic, Lufthansa has come across tremendous demand spikes across its entire network. The airline, which has faced hefty delays in taking delivery of 32 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and 20 777-9s, might have asked Airbus for an expedited delivery timeline to meet with this ever-growing passenger demand.
In the meantime, Lufthansa is returning into service its Airbus A380s, which had been parked and stored during the pandemic and put into service on some of its highest-demand routes. According to the airline, the A380s will be based at its Munich hub and deployed to Boston and Washington-Dulles in the U.S.
