Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt International) will reportedly order "around" 50 additional long-haul aircraft later this year to replace its current fleet of 48 A340-300s and A340-600s. Speaking in Cape Town during the ongoing 69th IATA AGM, Lufthansa CEO Christoph Franz said his airline has considered various options including the A350-900 and A350-1000 or a mixture of the B787-9/10X and the proposed 777 upgrade, the 777-8X and -9X. Once a deal is in place, the German carrier plans for the delivery of the aircraft from around the turn of the decade to about 2025. Regarding the airline's B747-8s, Mr Franz, surprisingly said the fleet could be replaced with the 777-9X as early as 2020 as "once a twin (engine jet) becomes available in the 747-8 size category, any airline would have to take a close look at such an aircraft because it is likely to be much more efficient."