Lufthansa German Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines have signed a contract with Airbus for nine A330-300s and 32 A320 family aircraft. Of the 32 Airbus A320 family aircraft, 30 (six A319s, four A320s and 20 A321s) will allow Lufthansa to further modernise its fleet and expand its network, while nine A330s and two A320s are to be operated by Zurich-based Swiss International Air Lines. Swiss is fully owned by the Lufthansa Group.
„We are already benefiting from the exceptional reliability, efficiency and passenger appeal of the A330, as we have ten A330-300s in our fleet,“ says Nico Buchholz, Lufthansa’s Head of Corporate Fleet Management. „The same applies to the A320 family. Both aircraft deliver excellent environmental performance, too.“
The A320 family aircraft will be used to reinforce and expand Lufthansa’s extensive network in continental traffic, currently encompassing more than 6200 weekly frequencies to 116 destinations in 37 countries. Thanks to the lowest seat-mile costs ever in their respective market segment, the A320 family will enable the German flag-carrier to offer more new services combined with high-end passenger comfort levels.
The nine A330-300s to be operated by Swiss will allow the carrier to increase network capacity and to replace its fleet of A330-200s. The cabin will be fitted with a comfortable three-class layout. The additional A320s will provide growth on Swiss European networks.
„We are very pleased to introduce the popular and more efficient A330-300 into our fleet. The aircraft will enhance our fleet as part of our long-haul strategy and also in terms of passenger comfort, economy and style. They will join our A330/A340 fleet seamlessly, providing additional capacity in our inter-continental network. Additionally they will also emit approximately 13 percent less CO2 per passenger carried“, said Christoph Franz, CEO of Swiss.
„We are proud that Lufthansa, one of the most successful airlines in the world has again chosen Airbus aircraft. We are equally pleased that Swiss International Air Lines has selected the A330-300, and is adding A320s to its fleet,“ said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer Customers. „All aircraft are equipped with the latest state-of-the-art fly-by-wire-technology, so both Lufthansa and Swiss will benefit from full operational flexibility thanks to the Airbus family concept. We are confident that these most fuel efficient and modern aircraft will contribute to their success.“
Lufthansa is one of the longest standing and largest Airbus customers worldwide. Currently Lufthansa has 151 Airbus aircraft in its mainline fleet. These include 14 A300-600s, ten A330s, 45 A340s plus 82 A320 family aircraft. To date, the Lufthansa Group has 15 A380s, 14 A330s, seven A340s and 73 A320 family aircraft on order.
Swiss currently operates a fleet of 51 Airbus aircraft, including eleven A330-200s, ten A340s and 30 Airbus A320 family aircraft.
