Lufthansa intends to decide on the purchase of new short-haul aircraft in the coming year, and it also considers the Boeing 737 MAX, which was closed after two crashes. "We have not lost our confidence in Boeing," said Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr at a press conference in New York.

The US aircraft manufacturer will get the current problem under control. In the coming year, Lufthansa wants to decide on the purchase of a three-digit number of short-haul aircraft. The Airbus A320neo, the A220 (formerly the Bombardier C-Series) and the Embraer model are available alongside the 737 MAX. The new aircraft will serve as a replacement for then retired A319 and Bombardier CRJ.

Lufthansa has so far no 737 MAX 8 in use. Such a new Boeing model from Ethiopian Airlines crashed on March 10, just a few minutes after launch. In October, a 737 of the Indonesian Lion Air also crashed shortly after departure into the sea. The two aircraft catastrophes killed 346 people.

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The causes are not yet cleared up. But because a technical defect could exist, authorities around the world deprived the model of take-off. Boeing also advocated leaving the approximately 370 machines on the ground for the time being.

The manufacturer argues that the aircraft are safe after being properly certified by the US aviation authority FAA. But according to media reports, the FAA may have made mistakes in the process. There is also a charge that the authority is working too closely with Boeing.

A committee of experts in the US Senate wants to pursue these questions in a hearing on Wednesday with representatives of the authorities. Lufthansa CEO Spohr counts on thorough education: "I believe this country will not rest until you have found out what really happened and what needs to be improved."

He expects that the authorities in Europe and elsewhere outside the United States to test Boeing aircraft in the future more closely. So far, FAA and the European supervisory authority EASA mutually recognize the approvals of Boeing and Airbus models.