Frankfurt, Germany – In a blow to Airbus SAS, German airline Lufthansa AG said Wednesday it would order 20 Boeing 747-8 planes, with purchase rights for 20 more, becoming the first airline to order the new long-haul jet for passenger service.
The Cologne-based airline said it would start taking delivery of the wide-body planes in 2010 as it expands into North America and Asia. The airline also approved an order for seven Airbus A340-600 long-haul jets, due for delivery by 2008. The airline, whose 333-plane fleet is dominated by Airbus aircraft, already operates 13 of those planes.
Lufthansa said the order for all the planes had a list value of $6.9 billion; Boeing said its 20 firm orders had a $5.5 billion value at list prices, although customers typically negotiate discounts.
The move was even more striking considering that the parent company of Airbus, European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co., is a joint Franco-German operation.
“Lufthansa is noted for its careful aircraft selection. It must have been somewhat difficult to have made the decision that they did, given Germany’s interest in Airbus,” said Paul Nisbet, an analyst for Rhode Island-based JSA Research.
