Luxair will introduce plans to add two new aircraft to its fleet at the airline’s board meeting in early March. RTL sources say negotiations are currently ongoing with American manufacturer Boeing, although legal details are yet to be confirmed.
The aircraft in question are thought to be two Boeing 737-8 models, the updated version of the 737 Max 8 after the latter suffered from safety issues in recent years.
Luxair said the purchase of the new planes represents an expansion of their current capacity, rather than the planned overhaul of the fleet. The new aircraft can transport up to 200 passengers and can cover considerably greater distances than their predecessors.
Reports on the negotiations with the leasing companies appeared on the independent aviation news site “aerotelegraph” on Monday. Luxair was said to have no plans to phase out the Dash 8 models as part of the renewal of their fleet, the start date of which has not yet been confirmed. The planes emit 30% less kerosene, and less CO2, than jets of the same size.
The new models, which were approved in Europe in January 2021, are expected to be delivered in June or July. Some 2,400 of the planes have already been ordered and delivered across Europe since their introduction.
