German flag carrier Lufthansa has placed an order with Airbus for 40 A220 aircraft, which sources its wings from Spirit AeroSystems’ Belfast operation.
Deutsche Lufthansa AG has used the A220 since 2016, when Swiss put the first aircraft into scheduled service.
The latest order is for 40 A220-300s, as the German aviation group looks to expand its short and medium-haul fleet.
Lufthansa commenced flights into Northern Ireland for the first time in 2023, launching a new service between Frankfurt and Belfast City Airport, next door to the factory where the A220 wings are manufactured.
“With today’s order for 40 additional Airbus A220s, we are continuing our unique partnership with Airbus,” said Carsten Spohr, chief executive of Deutsche Lufthansa AG.
“Just a few months ago, as the largest airline customer, we received our 600th aircraft from Airbus, and we look forward to taking delivery of number 700.
“Our customers are looking forward to these additional modern, economical, and fuel-efficient aircraft.”
Head of Airbus International, Christian Scherer, added: “The Lufthansa Group was one of the first customers for the A220 and has successfully operated the aircraft in its SWISS route network ever since.
“We are delighted by this testimony of confidence from our long-standing partner and customer.
“As the only clean sheet design aircraft and specifically designed for the 100-150 seat market the A220 is the most efficient solution in its category to support Lufthansa Group meeting its exciting airline development and sustainability objectives.”
By the end of November,
Airbus said orders for the A220 reached 849 by the end of last month, from 31 different customers.
Some 303 have been delivered to date.
The A220 is currently in service with 18 airlines worldwide on around 1,350 routes.
