Lufthansa Selects V2500 SelectOne Engine to Power 20 A321s

Released on Tuesday, January 27, 2009

IAE International Aero Engines today announced that Lufthansa is to power a new fleet of 20 firm Airbus A321s plus options with the V2500 SelectOne™ engine. The value of this business to IAE is up to $850 million if all options are exercised and deliveries are due to commence in 2009.

Choosing the latest V2500 SelectOne™ configuration will enable Lufthansa to drive down its operating costs. This is achieved through various engineering developments that have resulted in lower fuel burn and greater time on wing, leading to a reduction in the total cost of ownership.

Lufthansa has extensive experience of operating the V2500. The airline today celebrates 15 years of V2500 operation, after the first IAE-powered A321 entered service on January 27, 1994. Currently there are 33 aircraft equipped with the V2500 flying in Lufthansa colors.

Nico Buchholz, Senior Vice President, Corporate Fleet Planning at Lufthansa said: "We know that the V2500 is an excellent powerplant option for the A321, and with the additional benefits generated with the latest V2500 SelectOne™ standard, we can achieve a significant reduction in our operating costs. In the current economic environment, this is a major advantage for us."

IAE President and CEO, Jon Beatty added: "We've maintained an excellent relationship with Lufthansa over their years of V2500 operation. Follow-on orders like this are always very pleasing as they demonstrate satisfaction with our product and our people. With the introduction of V2500 SelectOne™ to its fleet, Lufthansa benefits from the latest technology advances that we have selected because they make a real difference to our customers."

The V2500 is available in seven different thrust settings, from 22,000 to 33,000lb, to power the Airbus A319, A320 and A321 Family of aircraft as well as the Airbus Corporate Jetliner. More than 5,500 V2500 engines are in service or on firm order.

The V2500 SelectOne™ build standard delivers an additional one percent fuel burn advantage, along with a corresponding reduction in CO2 emissions. It improves time-on-wing by up to 20 percent, and is compliant with the most stringent CAEP/6 NOx standards. It entered service on time in October 2008.