Lufthansa buying 35 new planes

Lufthansa will be buying 35 new planes with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2013. The orders are valued at close to US$4 billion.

Five Boeing 777 freighters are destined for the company’s logistics business and the remaining 30 aircraft from the Airbus A320neo family are for the passenger business.

Besides greater fuel efficiency, all the models on order will help lower operating costs as well as noise levels and emissions. The orders are yet further steps in
Lufthansa’s ongoing fleet modernization and expansion policy.

The logistics segment will receive five new Boeing 777 freighters, which are slated to join the fleet from 2013. They are intended to capitalize on forecast growing demand in the cargo sector.  Aside from their high fuel efficiency, the noise footprint of the new freighters is smaller than that of the existing fleet. The Boeing 777F is the most modern freighter of its size.

Twenty-five A320neo and five A321neo aircraft destined for continental European traffic in the passenger business. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2016. The aircraft come with improved aerodynamics and new engines. They burn around 15 percent less fuel than today’s comparable models. Moreover, their noise emissions lie cumulatively between 10 to 15 dB below current noise limits and further improve noise reduction compared with the present fleet.