Guy Norris/LONG BEACH
Lufthansa Cargo says a final choice on a new super freighter between the Airbus A380F and Boeing 747X Stretch freighter is still "well off", supporting reports that a decision is not due until September. A decision on the passenger aircraft requirement, however, may come in April.
Lufthansa Cargo executive board chairman Jean-Peter Jansen says "we are interested in both the 747XF and A380F. Airbus and Boeing are trying to give us a good deal, but we are still a long way from making a final decision."
Speaking to Flight International at the delivery of Lufthansa's 14th and final MD-11F, Jansen says another priority is obtaining more MD-11s. "We will be looking for them if they can be had at a reasonable price. We think there will be more of them coming up for conversion from the passenger market, though with the recent UPS deal, there is still a little too much 'hype' in the market. However, we believe it will cool down soon."
Jansen says the cargo carrier expects to operate the MD-11 fleet "for the next 30 years" and would have taken more new build MD-11s if Boeing had not decided to end production. He declines to comment on the number of additional MD-11s sought, though the carrier is believed to have a total requirement for up to 30.
The delivery of the last of 200 MD-11s built also marks the end of the widebody trijet era that was sparked in 1966 by an American Airlines requirement for an 'air bus'. Douglas, merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967, launched the DC-10 as a result. Deliveries of DC-10s began in August 1971 and continued until 1989. A total of 386 DC-10s were delivered to airlines and a further 60 KC-10 tankers were handed over to the US Air Force. Together with the MD-11 deliveries, total trijet production at Long Beach reached 646.
Source: Flight International