AIRBUS : Lufthansa Group orders 10 A320ceo aircraft for Eurowings

Lufthansa Group's supervisory board has approved the purchase of ten A320ceo aircraft for its subsidiary Eurowings. The new aircraft will become the backbone of the new low cost business model announced by the Lufthansa Group in July 2014, which foresees Eurowings operations on direct connections within Europe.

"By purchasing fuel-efficient A320 aircraft with the highest reliability standards, we offer our customers a comfortable, appealing and modern product in a highly competitive market environment," said Nico Buchholz, Executive Vice President, Lufthansa Group Fleet Management. "These aircraft contribute significantly to reducing noise and emissions wherever they fly. This new order is the next logical step in our ongoing fleet modernisation strategy, in particular with regards to driving down fuel burn, operating costs, noise and emissions."

"The A320ceo is the most reliable and efficient single-aisle aircraft today. It will empower Eurowings to perform its newly assigned mission - granting the lowest operational costs for the airline and the highest comfort and widest cabins for its passengers," said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. "We thank our prestigious customer Lufthansa Group for their continued confidence in our product-line and we are very happy to welcome Eurowings back to the Airbus operators family."

The Lufthansa Group is Airbus' biggest airline group operator with over 400 Airbus aircraft in operation and is also Airbus' biggest airline customer with over 580 aircraft purchased, including today's new order. Lufthansa Group runs one of the largest Airbus A320 Family fleet in the world, with almost 300 A320 Family aircraft currently in service. Eurowings has already operated Airbus A319s in the nineties and early 2000s.

The A320 Family is the world's best-selling single aisle product line with nearly 11,000 orders to date and over 6,200 aircraft delivered. Thanks to its widest cabin in its category, all members of the A320 Family offer the industry's best level of comfort in all classes and Airbus' 18" wide seats in economy as standard. The newest member of the A320 Family, the A320neo, incorporates new generation engines and Sharklets (new large wing tip devices) which together deliver 15 percent in fuel savings. At the end of August 2014, firm orders for the A320neo reached over 3,250 aircraft from 60 customers, representing a 60 per cent market share in its category.