Lufthansa Group orders 20 additional Boeing 737 Max 10 aircraft

Lufthansa Group has placed an order for 20 Boeing 737 Max 10 aircraft, converting a third of the 60 purchase options it secured three years ago. The group announced the move without saying which airline within the company will receive the jets.

The 737 Max 10, the largest variant of Boeing's narrowbody family, seats up to 30 more passengers than the 737 Max 8 in a standard two-class layout. Lufthansa Group said the aircraft are intended to replace older jets in the Airbus A320 family. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in the early 2030s.

The order follows the group's surprise return to Boeing three years ago, when it ordered 40 737 Max 8s and secured options on 60 more. That decision marked a shift back to Boeing for short- and medium-haul operations after the group retired its last 737 in 2016.

Eurowings is set to receive the first 40 jets. While Lufthansa Group has not confirmed the destination of the larger Max 10s, the subsidiary is seen as a likely candidate. The additional capacity could allow Eurowings to expand its premium offering on routes to the Gulf, where it faces competition from Emirates, which plans to deploy long-haul aircraft on the Berlin-Dubai route with up to four classes. Flydubai, Emirates' sister carrier, already offers a true business class with flat-bed seats on its 737 Max aircraft.