Lufthansa Orders 20 Boeing 787 Dreamliner Jets Worth Nearly $6Bln

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th March, 2019) Germany's Lufthansa Group has ordered 20 long-haul 787 Dreamliner jets, the manufacturer Boeing announced in a press release on Thursday.

"With the deal, valued at up to $5.8 billion per list prices, the largest airline group in Europe becomes the latest customer for the fastest-selling widebody airplane of all time, the release said.

By introducing the super-efficient and long-range 787 family, the airline group will be able to fly farther and reduce fuel costs and emissions by more than 20 percent compared to previous-generation jets, the release added.

Like Boeing's 737 Max planes, all of which were grounded this week following two deadly crashes, the Dreamliner has a spotty safety record.

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In 2013, two years after the plane was introduced, electrical fires on two Japanese owned planes prompted Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ground the planes for safety checks and design modifications.

With both the Dreamliner and 737 Max, problems were linked to the introduction of new technology.

Lithium-ion batteries for the Dreamliner electrical systems caused two fires, and preliminary reports on the 737 Max blame glitches in the plane's computerized auto-pilot.

Two 737 Max crashes, in Indonesia and Ethiopia, killed a combined total of 346 passengers and crew.