Airbus – Lufthansa orders twenty A350 XWB jets but says it is selling six A380’s back to the plane maker

German operator Lufthansa Group has signed a deal with Airbus for 20 additional A350-900 wide-body aircraft worth just under £5bn.

The new deal brings Lufthansa’s total orders for the A350 XWB to 45 with 12 aircraft already in operation around the world.

Lufthansa has said it is selling six of its 14 A380 superjumbos back to Airbus in 2022 and 2023 at it looks at replacing four-engine aircraft with new twin-engine models.

The airline said it is “continuously reviewing the profitability of its worldwide route network. Therefore, the Lufthansa Group is reducing the number of its Airbus A380 fleet from 14 aircraft to eight for economic reasons.”

Dr. Detlef Kayser, Member of the Executive Board Lufthansa Group said: “We are delighted to be adding 20 more A350s to our fleet.

The additional wide-body jets will help reduce our operating costs, improve the reliability of our long-haul fleet, improve our environmental performance and provide our passengers with the most modern cabins in their respective category with reference class travel comfort.”

[Lufthansa Airbus A380]

On the A380 sale back to Airbus Carsten Spohr, CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa said: “By replacing four-engine aircraft with new twin-engine models, we are laying the foundation for our future in the long term and sustainably.

In addition to the cost- effectiveness of the A350 and the B787, the decisive factor behind our investment decision was the significantly lower CO ₂ emissions of this new generation of long-haul aircraft. Our responsibility for the environment is becoming increasingly important as a criterion for our decisions.”