Luxair (LG, Luxembourg) has ordered four B737-8s, including two from lessors due for delivery ahead of the Summer 2023 season and two directly from Boeing scheduled for 2026.
The two leased aircraft will be procured from Boeing as an interim solution and will continue through 2027, a year after the two purchased units are scheduled to deliver. Luxair said it was negotiating an order for another two B737-8s with deliveries in 2027, which will replace the interim leased aircraft.
Chief Executive Gilles Feith told public broadcaster RTL that the choice of the B737 MAX over the A320neo was driven by aircraft availability in the short-term and lower pilot training requirements. The ch-aviation fleets module shows that Luxair's current narrowbody fleet is based on the B737NG Family and comprises four B737-700s and four B737-800s. Last year, Feith told ch-aviation that the airline was prioritising the replacement of the B737-700s, which are 16.6 years old on average.
Luxair said the B737-8s would be configured in a single-class layout seating up to 186 passengers. The aircraft will be used on the airline's longest scheduled services - Dubai International, Sal Amilcar Cabral International, Boa Vista Rabil International, and Dakar Blaise Diagne International - and also on shorter routes within Europe.
Feith added that the airline remains in talks regarding further orders in its fleet renewal programme. Besides the eight B737NGs, Luxair's fleet comprises eleven DHC-8-Q400s.
