Lufthansa to buy five A330s, 30 A320 family aircraft

Lufthansa's Supervisory Board yesterday gave approval for the airline to order 35 Airbus aircraft valued at more than $3 billion, including five new A330s that will "compensate for the delayed entry into service of the A380," the German carrier said in a statement.

Lufthansa has firm orders for 15 A380s. It did not specify whether it will order the A330-200 or the larger dash 300. It currently operates 10 A330-300s, according to the Ascend CASE database. The additional A330s "will underpin Lufthansa's plans for growth in the long-haul sector," it said, noting that the planes will allow for route expansion that it previously hoped to achieve in 2007 and 2008 with A380s.

LH said it also intends to order five A319s, 10 A320s and 15 A321s and will place options for 30 more A320 family aircraft. Deliveries will begin next year, with all five A330s delivered by the end of 2008.

"This order underlines our commitment to growth," Chairman and CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber said. "We are achieving profitable growth and are thus opening up new perspectives for our employees and shareholders."