According to updates from europeanairlinefleets and planespotters portals, Lufthansa plans to acquire six pre-owned Airbus A350s previously operated by LATAM Airlines and Hainan Airlines.
Recently, the company ordered several Airbus A350-900s and A350-1000s, increasing its total order to 38 units. Lufthansa continues to rely on these aircraft for its intercontinental operations, mainly based at its premium hub in Munich (MUC). The A350s are also set to replace older widebody aircraft of other Lufthansa Group airlines.
Lufthansa’s Airbus A350-900 Acquisition Details
- C/N 35 registered as N2825BN (ex-LATAM Brazil), 6.9 years old. Owned by Bank Of Utah and stored at Victorville (VCV).
- C/N 45 registered as N286BN (ex-LATAM Brazil), 6.6 years old. Owned by Bank Of Utah and stored at Victorville (VCV).
- C/N 79 registered as N287BN (ex-LATAM Brazil), 6.3 years old. Owned by Bank Of Utah and stored at Victorville (VCV).
- C/N 363 registered as N2825BN (ex-LATAM Brazil), 3.3 years old. Owned by Wilmington Trust and stored at Victorville (VCV).
- C/N 226 registered as OE-IPK (ex-Hainan Airlines), 4.7 years old. Owned by Avolon and stored at Teruel (TEV).
- C/N 245 registered as OE-IPX (ex-Hainan Airlines), 4.5 years old. Owned by Avolon and stored at Teruel (TEV).
These second-hand A350-900s have a configuration of 339 seats in two classes (30 Business Class/ 309 Economy). It remains unknown whether Lufthansa will refurbish the cabins immediately. This is not the first time the German airline has acquired second-hand models, having previously taken four ex-Philippine Airlines A350s without reconfiguring the cabin.
As transatlantic flights increase and the Asia-Pacific region recovers, the airline will require more aircraft to meet growing market demand. With the acquisition of these six units, Lufthansa will soon operate 27 Airbus A350-900s in its fleet.
Currently, the German carrier is reactivating 10 Airbus A340-600s and four Airbus A380-800s for its flights to North America during the 2023 summer season. Additionally, the company has faced issues with delayed deliveries of Boeing 777-9X and other widebody aircraft.
LATAM Brazil retired all its A350-900s as part of its Chapter 11 fleet restructuring, standardizing its entire fleet on Boeing models. The airline had 13 A350s, with Delta Air Lines acquiring nine units and Lufthansa obtaining the remaining four. Due to financial difficulties, Hainan Airlines was also forced to return almost all of its Airbus A350s to its lessors.
