FRANKFURT, GERMANY — The Lufthansa Group has announced that it would buy more passenger and cargo aircraft from Boeing. The Executive Board of the German company approved the purchase of seven Boeing 787-9 passenger aircraft, three Boeing 777F, and seven Boeing 777-8F freighter aircraft.

In addition to these orders, the leasing terms of two Boeing 777F freighter aircraft will be extended until 2024.

The seven 787-9 Dreamliner jets are intended to fill the future capacity gaps caused due to Boeing's 777X program delay. Lufthansa was expecting to take delivery of its first Boeing 777-9 jetliner in 2023. According to the new schedule, the aircraft won't join the airline's fleet before 2025.

The newly ordered B787-9s are to join the German flag carrier Lufthansa through 2025 and 2026. The delivery schedule for previously ordered Dreamliners will be revised by Boeing and, in some cases, brought forward to 2023 and 2024. Demand for air cargo in the world is still firmly high. Global supply chains continue to stumble due to the lack of containers and ongoing Covid restrictions in Chinese ports. To further maximize its global air cargo market revenues, Lufthansa Group has placed an order for three additional current technology Boeing 777F freighter jets. One freighter, which is currently serving with another carrier, will be transferred to Lufthansa Cargo in the upcoming weeks. Two new aircraft will arrive later. Contracts for two leased 777Fs in the fleet will be extended two years more.

Lufthansa Group has also placed orders for seven Boeing 777-8F aircraft, the freighter version of Boeing's next-generation wide-body passenger jet. The Boeing 777X will join the German Group's cargo fleet in 2027.