Lufthansa upgrades fleet with 34 Boeing, 25 Airbus jets

Lufthansa, Germany's biggest airline, said Thursday it has placed orders for 59 new fuel-efficient long-haul aircraft worth a total list price of 14 billion euros ($19 billion). Lufthansa said in a statement it has ordered 34 new Boeing 777-9X jets and 25 Airbus A350-900 to renew its fleet. Delivery is scheduled from 2016, the statement said. The order -- described by Lufthansa as the single largest investment ever made by a private investor in Germany -- will build a fleet of more fuel-efficient aircraft to combat high oil prices. "With these aircraft, we make a quantum leap in terms of efficiency," chief executive Christoph Franz told a news conference.