Lufthansa tilbake til Boeing 737 - AW&ST

 

Lufthansa Buys Boeing 737s Again After 28 Years

Jens Flottau December 21, 2023

 

Lufthansa was the launch customer for the 737-100, which made its first flight (pictured) in 1967 and entered service with the airline in 1968.

Credit: Boeing

Before Lufthansa finally signed an order for the Boeing 737-100 in early 1965, Boeing had to guarantee the airline that it would not cancel the program. Three years later, the 737 entered service with the German airline. Now, 58 years after its first order and 28 years after it last bought the type, Lufthansa is coming back to the aircraft.

The airline’s supervisory board on Dec. 19 approved of a firm order for 40 737 MAXs that could grow to 100 aircraft, including options. While Lufthansa has the flexibility to change to other versions closer to their delivery dates, the group’s priority is the 737-8. The carrier also ordered 40 Airbus A220-300s plus 20 options and secured 40 options for more A320neos. Deliveries are planned to start in 2026 and continue through 2032.

·        Aircraft likely to be flown by subsidiaries

·        The move should help negotiate pricing 

“With today’s aircraft order, we are accelerating the largest fleet modernization in our company’s history,” says Detlef Kayser, an executive board member responsible for fleet and technology. “This increases our order list of around 200 aircraft to 280—plus an additional 120 purchasing options for further state-of-the-art short- and medium-haul aircraft. We are pleased that both Airbus and Boeing were able to convince us on all commercial and technological aspects. In addition to this, the decision for the Boeing 737-8 will also give us more flexibility for the procurement of short- and medium-haul aircraft in the future.”

“Our relationship with the Lufthansa Group has led to a number of industry-changing achievements, and we are delighted to see the 737 return to an original launch customer’s fleet,” Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stan Deal says.

Lufthansa bought its last 737-300 in 1995, after having ordered a total of 146 since the aircraft’s launch. The airline never went for the 737 Next Generation (737NG) and has so far stayed away from the 737 MAX. Its last 737-300 was retired in 2016. The group has since become an all-Airbus narrowbody operator across its various subsidiaries: Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings. ITA Airways, in which Lufthansa is seeking to acquire a 41% stake, is also an all-Airbus airline. SunExpress, a leisure carrier jointly owned with Turkish Airlines, is operating a mixed 737NG and MAX fleet and purchased a further 90 737 MAXs at the Dubai Airshow in November.

According to company sources, one major factor in the decision was for Lufthansa Group to become less dependent on Airbus as a sole-source supplier of narrowbodies. In future campaigns, Lufthansa can now more credibly stage competitions between the A320neo and 737 MAX and likely achieve better pricing. Airbus narrowbody slots are sold out until 2030, and the aircraft-maker currently has little incentive for big discounts unless a strategic customer needs to be retained at all costs.