On 19 September 2013, Lufthansa placed an order for 59 wide-body aircraft - 34 Boeing 777X and 25 Airbus A350-900. Its value amounts to 14 billion, at the list price, being the largest investment made by a private company in the history of German industry.
Airbus aircraft could be delivered starting with 2016 and Boeing from 2020. By 2025, the new aircraft would replace the existing long-haul Boeing 747-400 and Airbus A340-300 aircraft. The aim is to reduce the number of different aircraft models, as well as cost efficiency and fleet modernization. Christoph Franz, CEO of Lufthansa Group, stakes in the new Aibus and Boeing aircraft and claims that they will consume 2.9 liters of fuel / passenger / 100 kilometers, on average about 25% less than today's aircraft.
Currently, Lufthansa is operating 107 wide-body aircraft, among which 10 Airbus A380, 9 Boeing 747-8i, 18 Airbus A330, these being the newest and most modern. But the fleet also includes 48 of Airbus A340 aircraft and 22 of Boeing 747-400 aircraft, slightly older and more fuel-efficient aircraft. In addition to the above, the Swiss fleet has 31 wide-body aircraft and Austrian Airlines has 12 wide-body aircraft.
This order is part of the fleet modernization plan approved by the Lufthansa Group Supervisory Board earlier this year. In March, the group approved the acquisition of 100 for aircraft dedicated to short and medium flights. These included six Boeing 777-300ERs for Swiss, which will replace the current Airbus A340-300.
The Lufthansa Group is currently in a reorganization process. It includes development of new innovative business models, the restructuring and transformation of some services, the reorganization and restructuring of the staff, but also the modernization of the fleet.
So far, Lufthansa Group has placed orders for 295 aircraft, all worth about 36 billion. The aircraft would arrive in Lufthansa, SWISS and Austrian Airlines fleets by 2025.