Lufthansa Group focuses on a modern, efficient and well-structured fleet The Lufthansa Group focuses on a modern, efficient and well-structured fleet and continues to invest in its fundamental renewal. This will enable the Aviation Group to continue to offer leading product quality and at the same time fly ever more economically and quietly. In addition, unit costs can be further reduced. Adjusted for currency effects, unit costs before fuel for passenger airlines fell by 0.4 per cent in 2017.
The Lufthansa Group's fleet currently comprises 752 aircraft (as of 1 October 2018). The Lufthansa Group has ordered a total of 205 aircraft at a list value of around 30 billion euros with delivery dates up to 2025. In 2019 the Lufthansa Group alone expects around 30 aircraft arrivals.
The Supervisory Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG approved the purchase of 27 short- and medium-haul aircraft. Purchase options for 24 Airbus A320neo and three A321neo will be converted into firm orders. With this decision, the Lufthansa Group is reacting to the positive market and earnings development and thus ensuring the necessary fleet size in the coming years. The total investment of this order amounts to a list price of about three billion US dollars. This increases the total number of A320neo and A321neo orders to 149 for the Group, 13 of them are already operating with Lufthansa.
The A320neo and A321neo (short for "New Engine Option") are scheduled for delivery in 2023 and 2024. Ten of the 27 new aircraft are intended for SWISS, the remaining aircraft will be in service by other flight operations within the Aviation Group.
In 2013, the Lufthansa Group ordered 59 state-of-the-art long-haul aircraft: 34 Boeing 777-9X and 25 Airbus A350-900. The first two A350-900 should be delivered to Lufthansa by the end of 2016 and stationed at the Munich hub. Both models consume around 25 percent less fuel than the current aircraft models and the first step into the “2-liter class”.
The Airbus A350-900 is more fuel efficient than any other aircraft type. On average the new aircraft will consume a mere 2.9 liters of kerosene per passenger per 100 kilometers, roughly 25 percent less than current-generation aircraft. The state-of-the-art Rolls Royce Trent XWB engines and an aerodynamic design will also reduce noise emissions to well below current prescribed limits.
From 2020, Lufthansa will also receive the first highly efficient Boeing 777-9 long-haul aircraft, in which the new Business Class will be used for the first time. In the new Business Class, this space is used to significantly increase the comfort level for passengers. For instance, all passengers in the new Business class will have direct access to the aisle. This is made possible by a 1-2-1 and 1-1-1 seat configuration. The new seats also provide customers with a significantly increased amount of personal space, more privacy, as well as generous storage compartments and flat surfaces.
www.lufthansagroup.com/777-9
SWISS has expanded its long-haul fleet by a total of nine new Boeing 777-300ER long-haul aircraft since 2016. The airline put the first aircraft of this type into service at the end of February 2016, and the tenth Boeing 777-ER was handed over to SWISS in March 2018. In May 2018 SWISS ordered two additional Boeing 777-300ERs, which are expected to go into service at the beginning of 2020. The Boeing 777-300ER features sophisticated technology, maximum reliability and a high level of cabin comfort. Another new feature of all Boeing 777-300ERs is their Internet connection. In addition, the use of modern GE90 engines enables significant savings in fuel consumption and CO2.
Compared to the A320neo, the Airbus A220 - formerly Bombardier's CSeries - is designed for smaller markets. The A220's key environmental performance indicators are similarly positive, with perceived noise reduced by half compared to the previous generation. CO2 emissions are 20 percent lower.
In 2016, SWISS became the first airline in the world to commission the CSeries, which is now known as the Airbus A220. In 2017, SWISS put three Bombardier CS100s and seven Bombardier CS300s into service on short-haul routes, each replacing an Avro RJ100. The last of the original 21 Avro RJ100s was withdrawn from service in August 2017. Thanks to the latest technologies, the A220 sets new standards in comfort, economy and environmental compatibility. Two more aircraft of this type are to be integrated into the fleet by early 2019.
During the reporting year, Austrian Airlines concluded replacing its Fokker fleet, a process begun in 2015, with 17 modern shorthaul Embraer 195 aircraft. By the end of December 2017, the last Fokker 100 left the fleet. The Embraer consumes about 18 percent less fuel per seat mile than the Fokker and is thus significantly more environmentally friendly. In addition, in 2017 Austrian Airlines took over five Airbus A320s from Air Berlin.
Eurowings is Europe’s fastest-growing airline. The fleet has grown significantly compared with the previous year. Eurowings has become the market leader at the four German locations Cologne / Bonn, Stuttgart, Hamburg and Düsseldorf. A contribution to this development came from fleet changeover from 23 Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft to the same number of Airbus A320s, which was successfully concluded in the first half of 2017.
The Lufthansa Group has been the sole shareholder of Brussels Airlines since January 9, 2017. The Belgian airline was assigned to the Eurowings Group business segment (see page 5). At the end of October 2017, Brussels Airlines decommissioned its last Avro RJ100. As a result, the fleet consists only of Airbus A330- 300, A330-200, A320-200 and A319-100 aircraft.
The Lufthansa Group is a global aviation group with aroud 240 subsidiaries.
Corporate responsibility, that is to say sustainable and responsible entrepreneurial practice, is an integral part of our corporate strategy. It means that we are committed to creating added value for our customers, employees and investors and to meeting our responsibilities toward the environment and society.
Current news from the Lufthansa Group
Detailed financial information