Lufthansa’s supervisory board has approved the acquisition of 40 Airbus aircraft worth approximately US$4.3 billion. These aircraft are destined for Lufthansa, plus two of the Group’s subsidiary airlines: SWISS and Germanwings. The orders comprise: 20 A320 Family aircraft and three A330-300s for Lufthansa; four A320 Family aircraft and five A330-300s for SWISS; and eight A319s for Germanwings. With this order, the Lufthansa Group, Airbus’s biggest airline customer, will have acquired a combined total of 410 Airbus aircraft.
“Our decision to acquire additional Airbus aircraft is testament not only to their advantageous operating costs, reliability and performance, but also to our long-standing partnership with Airbus,” says Nico Buchholz, Lufthansa’s executive vice president for group fleet management. “These Airbus aircraft will provide eco-efficiency, seamless comfort, passenger appeal and operational synergies across the Lufthansa Group.”
“We are proud that Lufthansa Group has again chosen Airbus aircraft to strengthen its fleet,” said John Leahy, Airbus chief operating officer for customers. “Lufthansa, SWISS and Germanwings will all benefit from full operational flexibility and commonality thanks to the Airbus Family concept. We are confident that these efficient and modern aircraft will continue to contribute to their success.”
Today, Lufthansa Group is Airbus’ biggest operator worldwide, with around 325 Airbus aircraft currently in service. These include: 227 A320 Family; 30 A330s; 65 A340s; and three A380s. In addition to this latest decision for 40 aircraft, the Lufthansa Group has an order backlog of a further 51 Airbus aircraft to be delivered. These include 36 A320 Family, three A330s, and 12 A380s.
The A320 single-aisle Family, specializing on short to medium-haul sectors, has established itself as the industry standard for passenger comfort and offers the lowest-operating cost per seat. More than 6,600 have been sold and around 4,400 delivered to more than 300 customers and operators worldwide, making it the world’s best-selling commercial jetliner ever.
Meanwhile, the versatile A330 Family specializes in medium to long ranges and combines high comfort standards, interior flexibility and superior economics with exceptional operational reliability exceeding 99 per cent. Encompassing the A330-200 and A330-300 passenger versions and now also the dedicated A330-200 Freighter, the A330 is the most popular wide-body commercial aircraft in its category, with a combined order total exceeding 1,100.
