"Without the successful implementation of (savings program) SCORE, we will not earn the necessary funds to order these planes," Franz, who is stepping down next May to join Swiss drugmaker Roche, told a news conference in defense of cost cuts that have faced opposition from labor representatitives. According to Lufthansa, the group's latest order represents the largest single private-sector investment in the history of German industry and will safeguard about 13,000 jobs at Lufthansa alone. "Any company investing billions of euros has to believe in the economic viability of its business. And we do. We are aware that we have to earn the money that we are investing here," Franz said. MAXIMUM FLEXIBILITY The new aircraft will mainly replace the existing aircraft at Lufthansa, with the older Boeing 747-400s and Airbus A340-300s to be phased out by 2025.