Replacement and additional purchases contribute to the further modernization of the Group’s fleets and offer companies and staff perspectives
The Supervisory Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG approved the order of 48 new aircraft for the Group at its meeting. Of these new aircraft, eight Airbus A330-300, equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent700 engines, will be deployed on long-haul routes and the remaining 40 aircraft will be deployed in continental traffic. The planned order includes three Airbus A330-300 and twenty Airbus of the A320-family for Lufthansa Passenger Airlines, as well as eight new Embraer 195 aircraft for Lufthansa Regional. In addition, the order includes five Airbus A330-300, two Airbus A321 and two Airbus A320 for SWISS, as well as eight new Airbus A319 for Germanwings. The new, highly modern and fuel efficient aircraft will be delivered to the Group successively from 2012. The order has a list value of approximately 3.5 billion euros.
“Investments in new aircraft strengthen the competitiveness of the airlines in the Group, and a modern fleet increases fuel efficiency and reduces operating costs, noise pollution and CO2 emissions. That equally benefits our customers, shareholders and staff, as well as the environment. This order will allow our airlines to make targeted use of the growth opportunities that are resulting from the growing demand, and at the same time, it will allow us to preserve the necessary freedoms to always react to fluctuations in demand and changes in the market with the necessary flexibility,” commented Lufthansa Chairman and CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber, speaking on the decision. The financing of the orders shall occur using the Group’s liquid assets or external financing.
