Contact: Tom Downey McDonnell Douglas Farnborough 1 252 381660 Don Hanson McDonnell Douglas (310) 593-4710 Chris Klick Lufthansa (49)69 696-2345

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

96-224

FARNBOROUGH, England, Sept. 5, 1996 -- Lufthansa Cargo ordered a fleet of McDonnell Douglas MD-11F long range trijet freighters today with a potential value exceeding $1.3 billion.

The deal was announced at the Farnborough International Air Show here by Wilhelm Althen, chairman of the executive board of Lufthansa Cargo AG, and Edward Bavaria, deputy president of the Douglas Aircraft division of McDonnell Douglas.

The agreement covers five firm MD-11 freighters and options for seven additional aircraft. The value of the firm orders exceeds $550 million.

Delivery of the first MD-11F to Lufthansa is scheduled for mid-June 1998, with four more following by the end of the year. The option aircraft would begin delivery in 2000 and continue through 2001. The aircraft will be powered by General Electric engines.

Lufthansa Cargo's decision to select the wide body MD-11F followed an exhaustive technical review of current freighter options, including converting aircraft presently in their inventory. McDonnell Douglas officials view the selection of the MD-11F by Lufthansa as a major milestone due to the airline's reputation as a world leader in the air cargo business.

"This is a huge win for McDonnell Douglas," said Douglas Aircraft Company President Michael M. Sears. "Lufthansa's decision to introduce an entirely new aircraft type -- the MD-11F -- into their freighter fleet confirms that the MD-11F is the freighter of choice in the world today. There are a few key airlines in the world whose decisions all others pay attention to; Lufthansa is one of them."

Lufthansa has the largest cargo service of any passenger airline in the world. It currently operates 15 cargo airplanes, including four DC-8s and 11 747s.

"In the MD-11F, we will take delivery of an aircraft that represents a logical supplement to our Boeing 747-200F long-range fleet following the sale of the McDonnell Douglas DC-8 freighter," said Lufthansa Cargo's Wilhelm Althen. "Thanks to its outstanding economy in operation and its environmental compatibility, the MD-11F is a trend-setting aircraft," he said.

The MD-11F has garnered more than 65 percent of recent orders for new large capacity freighters, and 70 percent of all new large capacity freighters in service are MD-11Fs. Today's announcement brings to 180 the total number of firm orders for all versions of the MD-11. Through July 1996, 154 MD-11s had been delivered.

The all-freight MD-11 provides superior capacity for operators. The trijet's capacity is 202,100 pounds (91,760 kilograms) gross payload and includes a 98.25-inch (249.5 centimeters) maximum stack height. The freighter's main cabin will hold up to 15,530 cubic feet (440 cubic meters) of palletized cargo. Its lower compartments will hold an additional 5,566 cubic feet (166 cubic meters) of bulk cargo.

The MD-11F is designed for a two person crew in a cockpit featuring six-across video-type displays showing all flight and systems information. Automatic systems controllers in the overhead panel manage the functions of all major aircraft systems, eliminating the need for a flight engineer as a crew member.

Douglas Aircraft Company, a division of McDonnell Douglas, is located in Long Beach, Calif.

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