German flag-carrier Lufthansa have purchased five A350-900s and five Boeing 787-9 aircrafts in a bid to modernise their fleet. The aircrafts will enhance sustainability by reducing fuel consumption and carbon emissions by 30 percent.
Modernising Lufthansa
Despite the airline reporting significant losses due to the pandemic, the purchase for the ten new aircrafts was approved yesterday by the Supervisory Board. The first Boeing 787-9 are scheduled to fly for Lufthansa as early as next winter, with others to follow in the first half of 2022. The decision brings the total number of firm orders for Boeing 787-9s and Boeing 777-9s to 45 aircraft.
Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Lufthansa said: “Even in these challenging times, we are continuing to invest in a more modern, more efficient and a lower emission Lufthansa Group fleet. At the same time, we are pushing ahead with the modernisation of our long-haul fleet even faster than planned prior to the coronavirus pandemic due to anticyclical opportunities.”
As part of the long-standing fleet renewal program, a total of 175 new aircraft will be delivered to Lufthansa Group airlines this decade. The five newly ordered Airbus A350-900s will be delivered in 2027 and 2028.
Reducing their Carbon Footprint
The airline also announced yesterday that they will be transforming their entire cargo fleet from the beginning of 2022 with a new outer surface that will help their carbon footprint. The airline have teamed up with chemicals company BASF, successfully creating a surface called AeroSHARK that replicates the structure of a shark’s skin.
The lower the frictional resistance of an aircraft in the air, the lower the fuel consumption. Using nature as a role model, the aviation industry has been intensively researching ways to reduce aerodynamic drag for many years.
Christina Foerster, Member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG said: “The new sharkskin technology for aircraft shows what strong and highly innovative partners can achieve collectively for the environment. This will help us to achieve our goal of climate neutrality by 2050.”
This latest innovative surface technology along with the purchase of their ten new aircrafts shows Lufthansa’s commitment to a more sustainable future. What do you think of the news? Let us know below.
