Eurowings orders 40 Boeing 737 MAX 8s in largest fleet modernisation to date
January 20, 2025
German low-cost carrier Eurowings has announced a multi-billion-dollar investment in 40 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, its largest fleet modernisation to date. Scheduled for delivery from 2027, the new aircraft will “gradually replace” the current Airbus A319 and older A320 models in operation with the leading German leisure carrier. The ambitious timeline cals for all 40 units to be delivered by 2032.
With the 40 aircraft worth around five billion dollars a list value, “this makes it by far the largest and most expensive sustainability project in the more than 30-year history of Eurowings,” stated the wholly-owned Lufthansa Group subsidiary.
Praising the lower fuel consumption, reduced emissions and quieter operations afforded by the aircraft, the platform’s procurement “demonstrates our responsibility to balance ecological interests” explained Eurowings CEO and CCO Jens Bischof. “With an extended range, they ae ideal for expanding our network to longer medium-haul destinations”.
With capacity for 189 passengers, the MAX offers nine more seats than the A320 and 39 more than the A319. Its significantly longer range of 3,500 nautical miles (replacing the A320’s 2,898 and the A319’s 3,198) also makes it “the perfect choice for longer medium-haul destinations, which Eurowings is increasingly offering in its portfolio”.
With the acquisition of the new aircraft, Eurowings will operate as one of Europe’s youngest and most efficient fleets. “Without such a technological leap, an airline will hardly be able to operate successfully on the market in the 2030s,” concluded Bischof.
“The company’s strategic focus on expanding its tourism business and its consistent expansion in Europe is paying off for the entire Lufthansa Group,” added chairman of the executive board and CEO of the Lufthansa Group Carsten Spohr. “Our decision today is a well-deserved and strong signal for a successful future of Eurowings”.
In October 2024, Eurowings’ nine-month results reported a profit of €152 million, a “good result… largely due to the change in strategic direction since the Covid crisis,” explained the airline, which cited the “accelerated expansion of the tourism business” as instrumental to its success.
However, Boeing’s MAX production line output still remains capped by the FAA at 38 units a month, following the implementation of increased quality and safety oversight procedures. Having restarted 737 production in December following a three-month strike, as of December 2024, the US manufacturer’s 5,499-strong backlog included 4,218 737s. It delivered nine MAX aircraft in December 2024.
