German airline giant Lufthansa said Wednesday it had ordered 40 long-haul jets, 20 each from rivals Airbus and Boeing, as it replaces its older four-engined fleet with more modern aircraft.
Boeing will supply 787-9 planes and Airbus its A350-900 to the Frankfurt-based group, with the list price for the order coming to $12 billion -- although the airline said it had "negotiated a significant price reduction" from the manufacturers.
In the same statement, Lufthansa added that it had agreed with Airbus to return six of its fleet of 14 A380 super-jumbos to the pan-European firm.
"The parties have agreed not (to) disclose the purchasing price," Lufthansa said.
Airbus said last month it would stop manufacturing the A380 in 2021 for lack of orders, as the monster aircraft designed to ferry huge numbers of passengers between major hubs is displaced by smaller, more flexible planes.
Chief executive Carsten Spohr said the purchase of the new twin-engined fleet meant "laying a sustainable foundation for our future" with cheaper to run and less polluting jets.
Fuel consumption by the new planes would be "on average" 25 percent lower per passenger and 100 kilometres flown, Lufthansa said.
Bosses have yet to decide whether the group's new aircraft, set for delivery between 2022 to 2027, will sport the flagship airline's blue-and-white livery or be deployed for other carriers in the group like Swiss or Austrian.
