Lufthansa is to buy
five Airbus A350-900s and five Boeing 787-9s to replace four-engine Airbus A340
long-haul aircraft in a bid to cut both costs and carbon emissions.
The five Boeing
planes had originally been manufactured for other airlines and have become
available because of the pandemic and look set to fly by the end of 2021 or
in the first half of 2022. The Airbus aircraft will be delivered in 2027 and 2028.
The airline said
that, on average, the new aircraft will only consume approximately 2.5 litres
of kerosene per passenger and per 100 kilometres flown, around 30 per cent less
than many current as well as previously operated long-haul aircraft models.
Carsten Spohr, CEO
of Deutsche Lufthansa, said: "Even in these challenging times, we are
continuing to invest in a more modern, more efficient and a lower emission
Lufthansa Group fleet. At the same time, we are pushing ahead with the
modernisation of our long-haul fleet even faster than planned prior to the
coronavirus pandemic due to anticyclical opportunities."