Lufthansa Group has placed a firm order for 20 Boeing 737 MAX 10s, lifting its total firm MAX backlog to 60 aircraft and adding approximately $3.4 billion at list price to Boeing's narrowbody order book.

The group announced the deal on September 17, 2026, exercising options it took alongside a 2023 purchase of 40 MAX 8s. The conversion signals continued confidence in a variant that has spent years waiting on FAA sign-off.

Lufthansa Group did not disclose the negotiated discount or specify which of its carriers would receive the larger variant. Deliveries begin in the early 2030s, the group said.

The MAX 10s will replace older Airbus A320-family aircraft. Lufthansa Group estimates the new type will burn 30% less fuel than the aircraft it succeeds, with a 20% reduction in unit costs driven by higher seating capacity. The figures align with Boeing's marketing case for the MAX family but remain unconfirmed in revenue service.

What does the order mean for Eurowings?

Eurowings absorbed all 40 MAX 8s from the original 2023 deal. In a January 2025 announcement, Eurowings outlined deliveries from 2027 through 2032 to replace its A319s and older A320s.

Eurowings configured its MAX 8s at 189 seats — 39 more than the A319s they replace. The airline cited the Boeing's longer range as a benefit for its expanding medium-haul network.

The group has not yet identified a home for the 20 MAX 10s. With the 737 MAX 10 still awaiting FAA certification, the decision may hinge on the variant's entry-into-service date and the configuration the group's operators require.

How far along is MAX 10 certification?

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg told the Morgan Stanley Laguna Conference on September 16, 2026 that flight testing was complete. "Now we're just in the documentation phase," Ortberg said. He indicated that certification was approaching but did not announce an approval date.

The September 16 update came one day before Lufthansa Group's order announcement, linking the carrier's commitment to Boeing's certification progress. Until the FAA clears the type, no operator can take delivery. The documentation phase follows flight testing and precedes type certification.

What is the broader fleet plan?

Lufthansa Group expects to take delivery of more than 250 new aircraft by 2035 under its fleet renewal program. The MAX 10s form one slice of a pipeline that spans narrowbodies, widebodies and freighters across Lufthansa mainline, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings.

The group has not detailed how the 20 MAX 10s fit into that envelope, nor whether the aircraft will feed mainline or a regional arm. The MAX 10's higher seating capacity, compared with the MAX 8, points toward higher-density short- and medium-haul routes rather than long-thin sectors.

With MAX 8s already allocated to Eurowings, the MAX 10s will likely serve a different segment of the network. The unanswered question is whether they replace retiring A320s at Lufthansa mainline, augment Eurowings, or feed another carrier in the portfolio.

How should the cost claims be read?

Lufthansa Group's 30% fuel-burn and 20% unit-cost figures are vendor benchmarks against in-service A320-family predecessors. Independent confirmation against dispatch-reliability and maintenance-cost data will come only after the type enters revenue service.

Treat those numbers as the planning case, not as audited performance. For now, the order rests on Boeing's ability to convert the documentation phase into a certified airframe and deliver aircraft in the early 2030s.

The next MAX 10 certification milestone will set the clock on Lufthansa Group's delivery slots. Watch for the FAA's decision on the type certificate and the first firm MAX 10 delivery slot.