In late 2023, Luxair, the national airline of Luxembourg, placed an order for a new type of aircraft for the airline. There’s now an update, as the airline has increased its firm order for this plane by 50%.
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Luxair adding Embraer E195-E2 to fleet
Luxair has placed a firm order for six Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, with all the planes expected to be delivered in 2026 and 2027. In addition to the six firm orders, the airline has three purchase rights for the aircraft, and also has conversion rights for the E190-E2, as needed.
For those not familiar with the Embraer E195-E2, this is the latest generation jet of the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer’s lineup. The E195-E2 is the largest, longest range, and most fuel efficient Embraer E-jet. The plane can seat 120-146 people (depending on the configuration), and can fly up to 2,600 nautical miles. The plane is great from a passenger experience standpoint, given the 2-2 layout, meaning there are no middle seats onboard.
Here’s how Gilles Feith, Luxair’s CEO, describes this order:
“The E195-E2 is a critical investment in Luxair’s future, enabling us to balance growth with our commitment to a greener and quieter future. Starting in 2026, these aircraft will mark the beginning of a new era for Luxair, bringing quieter operations, superior fuel efficiency, and unmatched passenger comfort to our customers. With a focus on a remarkably quiet interior cabin and low noise emissions, the E195-E2 aligns perfectly with our vision for a more sustainable, efficient, and customer-focused regional airline.”
Luxair’s fleet currently consists of just over 20 aircraft, including 10 Boeing 737s (four 737-700s, four 737-800s, and two 737 MAX 8s), plus 11 De Havilland Dash 8-400s. In addition to its current fleet, the airline also has 10 additional 737 MAXs on order (four 737 MAX 7s, four 737 MAX 8s, and two 737 MAX 10s).
In the future, we can expect that Luxair’s jet fleet will consist of 12 Boeing 737 MAXs, and at least six Embraer E195-E2s. The big question is what the long term plan is for the carrier’s turboprop fleet — will the airline keep those around or retire them, as there aren’t many modern turboprops to replace them with?
Luxair is a fascinating little airline
It might sound random, but Luxair is an airline that has long interested me. That’s probably at least partly because Luxembourg is one of the few countries in Europe that I haven’t yet visited, so I’m hoping to make it there eventually.
Luxair is majority owned by the government of Luxembourg. Lufthansa used to be a minority shareholder in the airline, but sold its stake in 2015. So despite Lufthansa no longer having an ownership stake in the airline, Luxair still uses Miles & More as its frequent flyer program.
Unfortunately Luxair doesn’t belong to Star Alliance, so opportunities to earn and redeem miles on the airline are limited. The airline serves dozens of destinations across Europe, as well as select destinations in North Africa and the Middle East seasonally.
From a premium passenger experience perspective, one interesting thing is how Luxair has a “proper” business class product on some of its jets. It’s my understanding that this product is available on a single Boeing 737 MAX 8 (with the registration code LX-LBL), and that it’s used primarily for the route to Dubai (DWC).
Bottom line
Luxair has placed a firm order for six Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, which are the most efficient regional aircraft in service. These planes should all join Luxair’s fleet in 2026 and 2027. Between this and the airline acquiring a total of 12 Boeing 737 MAXs, the carrier is very nicely modernizing its fleet.
What do you make of Luxair’s Embraer E195-E2 order?
I've always find it odd that Luxair flew into DWC... I was under the impression that DXB is not slot restricted, is this not the case?
Luxair isn't the only one waiting for new turboprops. There's quite a few airlines like Widerøe waiting for something new to use on their STOL network. I bet Porter would want to renew their De Havillands as well at some point, for example. So I guess that eventually something new will be announced, as there's actually a good market for it.
The aircraft order makes sense. Luxair is aiming for expansion, yet serving a...
Luxair isn't the only one waiting for new turboprops. There's quite a few airlines like Widerøe waiting for something new to use on their STOL network. I bet Porter would want to renew their De Havillands as well at some point, for example. So I guess that eventually something new will be announced, as there's actually a good market for it.
The aircraft order makes sense. Luxair is aiming for expansion, yet serving a niche market. People in Luxembourg are generally well off, but there aren't many of them. And now Luxair seems to be aiming at a lot of vacation traffic: many seasonal destinations in Greece, Spain and Italy. They'll use the new 737s for their plans beyond Europe, like Senegal and UAE, I guess, while some of their other destinations will become very unattractive when flown with a Dash, yet they won't be viable by using a full mid size sardine can like the 737. Right now they offer some limited tickets to Scandinavia: travel time 3 hours on a Dash... Not only can they severely cut on travel time, they'll also offer a much more attractive and comfortable product by using a decent yet economic jet aircraft for such a route. And then the E2 is absolutely the best choice right now.
Anyway, just book a ticket to Europe and a return flight from any of their destinations (Frankfurt, London, etc). Then spend a couple of days in the city, as it's very safe, very clean and quite interesting. Make sure that your return flight from Luxembourg will be in business class, as we need a review of the lounge there!
You might enjoy sampling Luxair - indeed interesting
The miles you get from flying LG on M&M can be spent on all *alliance.
LG itself is stingy on the amount of miles it grants on flights