The Lufthansa Group is accelerating the modernization of its long-haul fleet. The Group has signed leases for four state-of-the-art and fuel-efficient Airbus A350-900 aircraft with lessors Avolon, SMBC Aviation Capital and Goshawk. As a result, the Group’s A350 fleet will grow to 21 aircraft at the beginning of 2022.
The Airbus A350-900s are scheduled to enter service with Lufthansa’s core brand from the first half of 2022, strengthening the airline’s premium offering.
The twin-engine Airbus A350-900 aircraft consume only around 2.5 liters of kerosene per passenger per 100 kilometers flown. That is around 30% less than its predecessors, with a correspondingly positive impact on the carbon footprint. The aircraft will primarily replace four-engine long-haul aircraft from the Airbus A340 family. By the middle of the decade, the proportion of four-engine aircraft in the long-haul fleet as a whole is expected to fall to below 15%. Before the crisis, the share was around 50%. The new, fuel-efficient aircraft will reduce operating costs by around 15% compared with the types it will replace.
As part of its comprehensive, long-term fleet modernization program, the Lufthansa Group will take delivery of a total of further 177 short-, medium- and long-haul aircraft this decade.
