Lufthansa Group will take delivery of more than 30 aircraft this year, including 20 long-haul aircraft joining Lufthansa’s fleet.
The carrier is set to take delivery of “a double-digit number of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners”, as well as eight Airbus A350-900s and one Boeing 777 freighter.
The A350 deliveries will include the first aircraft to be fitted with Lufthansa’s long-awaited Allegris interiors, which were first unveiled in 2022.
The airline confirmed that the first flights to see the new interiors will be between Munich and Vancouver in May.
The news comes as Lufthansa Group posted an operating profit of €2.7 billion for 2023 – the third-best financial result in the group’s history (behind 2017 and 2018).
It also said that last year was the first time that all of the passenger airlines within the group had reported an operating profit.
Lufthansa Group carried a total of 123 million passengers last year, up from 102 million in 2022, and said that this year it expects an average capacity offering of around 94 percent compared to pre-pandemic 2019.
In other updated the group said it was expecting the EU Commission’s approval for an investment in Italian airline ITA Airways “over the course of this year”, and was “working closely and constructively with the EU Commission to achieve a swift conclusion and subsequent implementation of the transaction”.
Lufthansa Group to purchase 41 per cent stake in ITA Airways
And on the sustainability front Lufthansa Group said it has now sold more than one million carbon offsetting Green Fares in Europe and to North Africa, with the initiative now being trialled on selected long-haul flights.
Commenting on the news Carsten Spohr, chairman of the executive board and CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, said:
“The Lufthansa Group has regained its financial strength. I would like to thank our customers for their continued loyalty and each and every one of our approximately 100,000 employees. With their above-average commitment, they made 2023 one of the three best years in Lufthansa Group’s history.
“This success benefits everyone. We want to pay our shareholders a dividend for the first time since 2019. We are also giving our employees a share in our good results development through significantly above-average collective wage agreements and profit-sharings.
“And this year, we also aim to finally return our customers’ satisfaction to premium levels. That is why we are investing the record amount of 4.5 billion euros in new aircraft, in our cabin interiors, lounges, ground processes and in personal and digital services.
“As part of the largest fleet modernization in our history, we expect to take delivery of at least 30 new aircraft this year, including around 20 long-haul jets for Lufthansa – another record!”
