Lufthansa Group purchases further latest-generation long-haul aircraft

Lufthansa Group is purchasing further Airbus long-haul aircraft, increasing its firm orders for A350-1000 aircraft from ten to 15. The state-of-the-art aircraft of this order will be delivered between 2028 and 2030. The total value of the order is around two billion US dollars at list price. With a total of 60 A350-900s and 15 A350-1000s, the Lufthansa Group is one of the largest A350 customers worldwide.   

Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG commented:  “Today’s order underscores our great confidence in our long-standing, close and successful partnership with Airbus. With the state-of-the-art A350 long-haul jets, we are accelerating the largest fleet modernization the Group has done so far. We are investing more than ever before to make air transport more sustainable, to achieve our CO₂ reduction targets and at the same time offer our customers the highest level of comfort with a first-class travel experience. Including today's order, the Lufthansa Group has ordered 770 aircraft from Airbus throughout its history and is proud to be the Airbus’ largest customer worldwide. With the upcoming integration of ITA Airways in January, the Airbus fleet of Lufthansa Group Airlines will grow by another 100 short- and long-haul aircraft.”   

New aircraft biggest lever for CO₂ reduction 

With a current fleet of around 740 commercial aircraft, the Lufthansa Group is pursuing a long-term fleet strategy focused on premium quality, cost efficiency and emissions reduction. Including the latest aircraft order, the Lufthansa Group currently has a total of around 250 new, fuel-saving aircraft on its order list, including 100 long-haul aircraft of the latest design. In the medium term, the highly efficient twin-engine long-haul jets are slated to replace four-engine aircraft types that are gradually being phased out. These include the Boeing 747-400, Airbus A340-600 and Airbus A340-300 aircraft types.  

Compared to their predecessors, the new additions to the Lufthansa Group fleet consume up to 35 percent less fuel consumption and emit correspondingly less CO₂. The Lufthansa Group aims to halve its net CO₂ emissions by 2030 compared to 2019 through reduction and compensation measures, and to achieve a neutral CO₂ balance by 2050. 

The Lufthansa Group has already ordered ten A350-1000s back in March 2023, with deliveries due to start in April 2026. This aircraft type is 73.8 metres long and offers around 15 per cent more capacity than the A350-900.