THE Lufthansa Supervisory Board approved orders for seven Airbus A340-600 long-haul jets.
The purchase is part of Lufthansa’s firm plans to strengthen its position as a leading, global network carrier in the profitable long-haul business.
With this decision, Lufthansa is continuing its policy of acquiring state-of-the art aircraft in ecological and economical pursuit of new customer-oriented goals. The A340-600 is noted for high fuel-efficiency and low emissions. The orders were already included in Lufthansa’s investment planning.
The new aircraft are scheduled for delivery in 2006 and 2007. The orders are fully in line with capacity planning for the Airbus A380, which will begin joining the fleet from the end of 2007. Besides replacing existing aircraft, the new A340-600s will equip the airline with the capacity required to accommodate forecasted demand in the next few years.
Said Wolfgang Mayrhuber, chairman of the Executive Board and CEO Deutsche Lufthansa AG: “Our quality product is convincing more customers, daily. In harness with our partners, we are gearing for systematic growth. Our two hubs in Frankfurt and Munich offer further perspectives in long-haul traffic. Lufthansa is intent on strengthening its strategic position and making the most of its opportunities. Its overriding aim, however,
is to achieve profitable and market-driven growth.”
The A340-600 is a highly-economical aircraft. Lufthansa already has ten of the type in its fleet.