Covid: Lufthansa hastens fleet modernisation; 4-engine planes’ share to drop

NEW DELHI: Lufthansa on Monday approved buying 10 long-haul aircraft — five Airbus A350-900s and five Boeing 787-9. The mega German carrier says it is “accelerating fleet modernisation” plan to replace older types on short, medium and long-haul routes. Accordingly, 175 new aircraft will be delivered to Lufthansa Group airlines this decade.

The pandemic has preponed the retirement of four-engine passenger jets.

“Current plans call for an initial fleet reduction, while at the same time extensively modernizing it in the future. The Boeing 787-9 and Airbus A350-900 will essentially replace the four-engine A340 long-haul aircraft as part of this process. Plans call for reducing the number of four-engine aircraft in the Lufthansa Group long-haul fleet to less than 15% by the middle of this decade;