Lufthansa Group has placed a firm order for 40 Boeing 737 Max 8s and taken options on 60 more as part of wider deal which is also set to see it add more Airbus A220 and A320neo-family jets.
The Boeing order is notable as it marks the group’s first order for Max jets and its first deal for narrowbodies from the US manufacturer for almost 30 years.
Lufthansa Group executive board member with responsibility for fleet and technology Detlef Kayser explains: “The decision for the [737 Max 8] will also give us more flexibility for the procurement of short- and medium-haul aircraft in the future.”
Lufthansa Group operators’ narrowbody fleets comprise Airbus A220 and A320-family jets. Lufthansa itself phased out the last of its 737s in 2016.
Delivery of the first CFM International Leap-powered Max 8, which will seat 190 passengers in a two-class configuration, is set for the first quarter of 2027.
”As the planned growth path for both Lufthansa Airlines, including Lufthansa City Airlines, and Swiss, is already underpinned by aircraft orders, the Boeing 737 Max aircraft will be deployed in one of the Lufthansa Group’s other flight operations. The decision on this will be made at a later date,” the carrier says.
Alongside the Boeing commitment. Lufthansa has also placed firm order for 40 A220-300s, which will be deployed at its new Lufthansa City Airlines unit.
The carrier is set to begin flights next summer out of its Frankfurt and Munich hubs using Airbus A319s. Lufthansa had said in October that it was evaluating A220s together with Embraer jets for the carrier’s long-term fleet.
City Airlines will take delivery of the first of its A220s in 2026. The aircraft, powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engines, will be configured with 148 seats.
Lufthansa Group has also taken purchase rights on 20 more A220s, as well as 40 more A320neo-family jets. The group already has around 450 A320s in service across its airlines and also 71 further aircraft on order.
The aircraft across the new 200-strong commitment cover deliveries between 2026 and 2032.
“We are accelerating the largest fleet modernisation in our company’s history,” says Kayser. “This increases our order list of around 200 aircraft to 280 – plus an additional 120 purchasing options for further state-of-the-art short- and medium-haul aircraft.”
