Statement from Carsten Spohr: Lufthansa talks to Boeing about more 787s – Austrian Airlines

Little has changed in the official statement. In Vienna it is said that they are in constant contact with the Lufthansa Group fleet management. “The planned replacement of the long-haul fleet will take place before the end of this decade,” said an Austrian Airlines spokeswoman.

Francesco Sciortino has narrowed the long haul fleet modernization period in the spring. “the The Boeing 767, in its current form, can last another four to five years said the chief operating officer of Austrian Airlines. This means exchange by 2028 at the latest.

Maintenance costs are constantly increasing

But for the first time there are now clearer words from the highest order. “AUA is definitely next, with new long-range models,” Carsten Spohr said before Christmas at an event with staff. According to the head of the Lufthansa Group, there is a very strong reason for this. It became “more and more expensive to keep the aircraft we have now in good condition and in the condition we need.”

Spohr was addressing the Austrian subsidiary’s old long-distance fleet. The six Boeing 777-200s of Austrian Airlines are now 22 years old. The three Boeing 767-300s, which will be phased out first, have an average lifespan of 23 years.

Lufthansa is in talks with Boeing about more 787s

But Spohr did not say clearly for the first time that Austrian Airlines would get new planes in the near future. He also settled on the form. The group is currently negotiating Boeing on further compensation payments for 777X delays. And it is always better to take “in kind, planes” than to pay.

Specifically, the Lufthansa CEO said: “We are now talking to Boeing about whether we can add a few more 787s.” According to Spohr, these could be AUA-configured aircraft. However, it is still too early for concrete data.

Ideal for AUA and Vienna

First, the option of giving five Dreamliner White Tails to Austrian Airlines, for which Lufthansa is responsible, was considered, Spohr said. This means that Five Dreamliners are no longer wanted by Hainan, so the German group buys them on the cheap I got. But according to the CEO, that would also require cabin modifications and also mean that AUA would have an irregular fleet. Because they need more than five planes.

And so it looks like Austrian Airlines is getting another Boeing 787 now. affiliate In terms of size, the Dreamliner is ideal for the requirements of the Austrians. In a three-class configuration with Business Class, Premium Economy, and Economy Class, the Boeing 787-8 offers about 220 seats, the 787-9 about 270 seats, and the 787-10 about 310 seats. This fits the AUA and the Vic. In the Boeing 777, the airline has 320 seats after conversion (32/40/258), in Boeing 767,213-seat aircraft (26/30/157).

group synergy

The previous obstacle has been removed. Lufthansa also now flies with Boeing 787 aircraft. Thus, synergies within the group were secured.