Lufthansa order for 777-9X and A350-900s is largest single private sector investment in Germany
Lufthansa stated (19-Sep-2013) its order for 59 Boeing 777-9X and A350-900 aircraft followed a recommendation by the Deutsche Lufthansa AG Executive Board headed by Dr Christoph Franz. The board approved the purchase of 34 777-9Xs and 25 A350-900s, with deliveries commencing as early as 2016. Older 747-400s and A340-300s will be phased out by 2025. The new aircraft will primarily serve to replace existing aircraft at Lufthansa. The investment amount for the Lufthansa Group's latest order totals EUR14 billion at list prices and is the largest single private-sector investment in the history of German industry. Lufthansa Group CEO and chairman of executive board Christoph Franz said: "This investment will safeguard about 13,000 jobs at Lufthansa alone as well as thousands of jobs at our partners in aviation and other suppliers". Lufthansa operates a widebody fleet of around 107 aircraft, among them 10 A380s and nine 747-8s as well as 18 A330-300s. The fleet also includes 48 A340s and 22 747-400s. In addition to these, the Group subsidiary Swiss has 31 widebody aircraft while Austrian Airlines' widebody fleet consists of 12 aircraft. The carrier said the aim is to reduce the number of different models and fleet complexity in the Passenger Airline Group segment and also replace existing aircraft with new aircraft. In Mar-2013, the Group approved the purchase of around 100 short and medium-haul aircraft. This order included six new 777-300ERs for Swiss, which are also intended to replace older A340-300s at the airline. The new aircraft will be operated by new engines - the A350 by the Rolls-Royce 'Trent XWB 84' engine and the 777-9X by General Electric's 'GE-9X' model. Following the aircraft order already placed in Mar-2013, the Group currently has a total of 295 new aircraft on order with a list value of EUR36 billion. These should be delivered by 2025. [more - original PR- Lufthansa] [more - original PR - Lufthansa - German]