Lufthansa board approves $11.7 bln worth of aircraft orders

Lufthansa-B737-500 on the gateReuters

Deutsche Lufthansa AG’s supervisory board has approved the purchase of 108 aircraft from Boeing Co and Airbus with a list price of 9 billion euros ($11.7 billion), as it modernises its fleet with more fuel-efficient planes.

The order includes six Boeing 777-300s as well as two mammoth A380 jets made by Airbus, a unit of EADS, the German flagship carrier said on Thursday as it published its 2012 financial results.

The announcement comes on the same day that Airbus delivered its 100th A380, which was handed over to Malaysia Airlines in Toulouse. Lufthansa now has 10 A380s in operation and 14 on order.

Lufthansa said its order also includes 30 A320ceo aircraft and added its board had also granted permission to conclude negotiations for 70 Airbus A320/321neo planes.

Airbus had hinted at imminent orders worth over $10 billion for A320neo passenger jets earlier this week, saying cumulative orders for the revamped jet would probably hit 2,000 by the end of this month.

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