Lufthansa Supervisory Board gives go-ahead for major Airbus order
The Lufthansa’s Supervisory Board has approved the acquisition of 100 A320 Family aircraft (35 A320neo, 35 A321neo and 30 A320ceo with Sharklets) and two A380s worth approximately US$ 11.2 billion at list prices. The engine choices will be announced by the airline at a later date.
This latest acquisition reconfirms the Lufthansa Group as Airbus’ largest airline customer, with a total of 532 aircraft ordered. Today the Lufthansa Group is also Airbus’ biggest operator worldwide with 385 Airbus aircraft currently in service. These include: 271 A320 Family, 41 A330s, 63 A340s, and 10 A380s.
‘’The A380 fulfills all our expectations, it’s a very reliable aircraft and our passengers’ feedback is excellent,” said Nico Buchholz, Executive Vice President, Lufthansa Group Fleet Management. “We are delighted to add again two more A380s to our fleet and together with the 100 new A320 Family aircraft these new jets will contribute to cutting our operational costs significantly while reducing our environmental footprint and offering our passengers a benchmark travel comfort thanks to the widest cabins in their respective fleet category.”
“We thank Lufthansa for their continuing strong confidence in our market leading aircraft,“ said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “This third A380 order is a clear sign that the aircraft is working well for our prestigious customer Lufthansa. I am equally pleased, that with this order we are getting close to 2,000 NEO orders in just over two years, proving this jet is clearly the single aisle aircraft of choice.”
The A320neo and A320ceo Family aircraft will be used for Lufthansa Groups’ network development and fleet modernisation. While the CEO with Sharklets will deliver a four per cent fuel burn reduction, the NEO will contribute to cutting Lufthansa’s fuel burn by another 15 per cent. On top the A380 demonstrates a 12 per cent fuel burn reduction compared to its nearest competitor.
Over 36 million passengers have already enjoyed the unique experience of flying on board one of the 1oo A380 delivered so far. With 140 flights per day to date, the entire fleet has accumulated by now 100,000 revenue flights and 850,000 flight hours.
The A320 Family is the world’s best-selling and most modern single aisle aircraft Family. Today more than 9,150 aircraft have been ordered and over 5,450 delivered to more than 385 customers and operators worldwide.