Lufthansa Group has agreed deals for the purchase of a total of 40 state-of-the-art aircraft for its airlines.

The 20 Boeing 787-9 and 20 additional Airbus A350-900 planes will primarily be replacing four-engine aircraft.

The new planes will be delivered between late 2022 and 2027.

The order has a list-price investment volume of US$12 billion.

As is usual with such orders, Lufthansa Group has negotiated a significant price reduction.

The parties have agreed not to disclose the actual purchase price.

“By replacing four-engine planes with new models, we are laying a sustainable foundation for our future in the long run.

“In addition to the cost-effectiveness of the A350 and B787, the significantly lower CO2 emissions of this new generation of long-haul aircraft was also a decisive factor in our investment decision.

“Our responsibility for the environment is becoming more and more important as a criterion for our decisions,” said Carsten Spohr, chief executive, Lufthansa Group.

The decision regarding which airline will deploy the aircraft at which hub will be made at a later date.

With the Airbus A350-900, the Boeing 777-9 and the Boeing 787-9, Lufthansa Group will own the most fuel-efficient long-haul aircraft of their class in terms of kerosene consumption per passenger and 100 kilometres flown.

Airbus A380

Lufthansa also confirmed the sale of six of its 14 Airbus A380s.

The aircraft will be leaving Lufthansa in 2022 and 2023.

The parties have agreed not disclose the purchasing price.

Lufthansa continuously monitors the profitability of its world-wide route network.

As a consequence, the group is reducing the size of its Airbus A380 fleet from 14 aircraft to eight for economic reasons, the group said in a statement.