Lufthansa signs for 10 Airbus A330-300s

Deutsche Lufthansa today signed a contract with Airbus for the purchase of ten A330-300s, thus becoming a new customer for the capacious medium-range twin from Airbus' market leading A330/A340 Family. This confirms the German carrier as one of Airbus' largest airline customers with a total of almost 200 aircraft ordered to date. This first A330 acquisition by Lufthansa marks the next step in its medium term fleet planning. Deliveries of the A330-300s are scheduled to begin in 2004.

"We are extremely pleased to see Lufthansa, one of the very early and longstanding Airbus customers, order the A330", said Airbus President and Chief Executive Officer Noël Forgeard. "By selecting the A330 for its medium/-long-haul operations, Lufthansa has now ordered practically all members of the Airbus aircraft Family. "

The A330/A340 fleet combination will give Lufthansa the full benefit of Airbus' unique operational commonality, providing huge cost savings in operations, training and maintenance. 

Lufthansa which currently operates a fleet of 34 A340s on its ultra-long-haul network plans to deploy the A330 on routes to North America, Africa and Middle East. The order signed today will make Lufthansa the largest A330/A340 Family operator in the world.

Airbus' A330/A340 Family sets the standard of today's passenger comfort, offering a Business Class without middle seat and placing all Economy passengers no farther than one seat from the aisle. The A330-300's flexibility and efficiency result from its state-of-the-art technology, optimised wing design and the lowest fuel burn in its class. Together with low noise and emissions levels, these features also contribute to environmentally-friendly operations.

Lufthansa's selection of the A330 further reinforces the remarkable success of the A330/A340 Family as the preferred medium to long-range aircraft among airlines worldwide, with over 740 orders from more than 60 customers to date. The Family has achieved a 75 per cent market share this year.

With well over 4,500 orders booked to date from over 180 customers worldwide, Airbus is a leading aircraft manufacturer with the most modern and comprehensive product line on the market. Airbus is a global company with design and manufacturing facilities in France, Germany, the UK, and Spain as well as subsidiaries in the U.S., China and Japan. Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is an EADS joint Company with BAE SYSTEMS.