Boeing Co. is celebrating the forthcoming return of its 737 series to the Lufthansa Group fleet with news of an order for 40 737 MAX 8 jets – part of a total $9-billion commitment to new aircraft by the German carrier. Lufthansa also ordered 40 Airbus A220-300 jets, with deliveries for the 80 new jets scheduled from 2026 to 2032.
The simultaneous orders are consistent with numerous other carriers’ decision to book long-range expansion plans with multiple options for future orders, anticipating fleet-replacement requirements amid forecasts for rising passenger traffic forecasts and heavy production volumes at the two major aircraft builders.
Both the Boeing and Airbus orders include options for more aircraft, up to 60 more narrow-body 737 MAXs from Boeing, and 20 options for the regional/commuter scale A220s, plus 40 options for Airbus A320 narrow-body jets.
The 737 MAX 8 has a range of 3,610 nautical miles (4,150 miles / 6,690 km) and a maximum seating capacity of 210 passengers. Boeing stressed the aircraft’s “efficient design.
“The 737 MAX reduces CO2 emissions by 20% and has a 50% smaller noise footprint compared to older generation airplanes,” Boeing noted.
"The Lufthansa Group has set bold targets to decarbonize its operations. The 737-8 will help the Lufthansa Group meet those sustainability targets with significant improvements in fuel use, emissions, and community noise impacts, all while reducing costs for the airline," stated Carsten Spohr, the Group’s chairman.
The airline was a launch customer for an earlier version of the Boeing 737 (in 1967), and took delivery of a total 146 737s through 1995. Since the last Lufthansa 737 was retired in 2016, it has operated only Airbus single-aisle aircraft. (It operates a large number of Boeing 777 and 787 wide-body aircraft.)
By way of its SwissAir subsidiary, Lufthansa Group was a launch customer for the Bombardier CSeries aircraft in 2016, the original branding for the A220 series of midrange jets that Airbus acquired in 2018.
The A220-300 is the larger of two A220 variants, with space for 120 to 150 passengers and a range of 3,400 nautical miles (3,900 miles / 6,300 km). Airbus emphasizes the aircraft offers 25% lower fuel burn and CO2 emissions per seat than previous-generation aircraft.
“As the only clean-sheet design aircraft and specifically designed for the 100-150 seat market, the A220 is the most efficient solution in its category to support Lufthansa Group meeting its exciting airline development and sustainability objectives,” offered Airbus chief commercial officer Christian Scherer.
