Lufthansa is expected to soon announce an order for new small jets to renew and expand its fleet of its affiliates, according to reports. The Airbus A220 and the Embraer E2 are in dispute, which would have already been evaluated months ago.
However, if before the German flag carrier was not in a hurry to choose aircraft, now the situation has changed. In an internal employee forum, Carsten Spohr, the company’s CEO, acknowledged that “We will definitely have to buy again for short-haul [routes],” as reported by Aviation Week.
The reason given by Spohr involves low-cost airlines, which began to compete with the Lufthansa group from small airports. While offering connections to its hubs from smaller cities, Lufthansa sees its rivals deploying direct-flight networks including hubs abroad.
Lufthansa, however, has been dubious about its intentions regarding the new fleet of jets with up to 150 seats. While currently operating with various models such as the CRJ-900, 1st gen E-Jets, the airline also has Swiss A220 and E190-E2 and E195-E2 aircraft operated under contract with Helvetic Airways in its network.
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In previous statements, the CEO of the carrier suggested that a single order would be interesting because of possible discounts, however, he also expressed concern about depending on just one manufacturer.
So far, Lufthansa has not estimated how many aircraft it intends to order. The group operates nearly 200 jets with up to 150 seats.
