I don’t suppose this timeline will shock anybody, however Lufthansa has revealed when it plans to retire a few of its lengthy haul plane. Us aviation geeks will definitely be unhappy to see these planes go…
Lufthansa’s 747 & A340 retirement plans
Lufthansa is making an attempt to simplify and streamline its lengthy haul fleet, particularly with the variety of new Airbus A350s, Boeing 787, and Boeing 777Xs, that the airline has on order. Alongside these traces, Lufthansa has introduced that it plans to retire its Boeing 747-400s and Airbus A340s by 2028:
- Lufthansa has simply eight Boeing 747-400s, that are a median of over 24 years previous; Lufthansa additionally has a fleet of 19 Boeing 747-8s, and people are sticking round, and can even get new cabins
- Lufthansa has 17 Airbus A340-300s and 10 Airbus A340-600s, that are common of 25 and 17 years previous, respectively
This fleet planning announcement was a part of Lufthansa’s Q2 2024 monetary outcomes, which instructed a well-known story within the business — the airline had report income, however margins had been down. So Lufthansa is now making an attempt to streamline its operation and management prices, by flying extra fashionable plane.
Frankly I wouldn’t be shocked if the 2028 timeline is moved ahead a bit if there’s any kind of a fabric financial downturn. I’ll take it a step additional — I’d be shocked if a minimum of one in every of these subfleets doesn’t begin to be retired earlier than 2028.
Take into account that at first of the pandemic, Lufthansa drastically lowered its 747-400 fleet, and likewise grounded its A340-600s, solely to deliver the latter again attributable to delays with Lufthansa’s new plane deliveries.
I’m unhappy about these upcoming retirements
It makes good sense for Lufthansa to retire its 747-400s and A340s within the coming years, given the working prices of those four-engined jets. Nevertheless, as an aviation geek, I’m going to be very unhappy to see these plane retired.
The 747 is the queen of the skies, and the 747-400 jogs my memory a lot of my childhood. On the plus aspect, Lufthansa is one in every of solely three airways to fly the 747-8, and the airline will likely be flying that jet for a few years to come back, effectively into the 2030s. So not all is misplaced, however there’s simply one thing I discover so charming about how “traditional” the 747-400 feels on the within.
Within the case of the A340, Lufthansa is the world’s largest operator of the jet, and no different provider’s fleet even comes shut. Many of the different industrial A340s you see flying are for airways which have sanctions in place towards them, stopping them from shopping for new plane. These embody airways like Mahan Air, Conviasa, and Kam Air.
There’s simply one thing enjoyable concerning the adorably tiny engines of the A340-300 that make you surprise for those who’ll get airborne earlier than the tip of the runway, plus the large size of the A340-600 “pencil” jet, together with the bathrooms within the cargo maintain.
Backside line
Lufthansa has revealed that it plans to retire its Boeing 747-400s, Airbus A340-300s, and Airbus A340-600s, in 2028. This isn’t actually a shock, given all the brand new plane that Lufthansa has on order. As an aviation geek, these retirements are particularly unhappy, given what cool planes the 747 and A340 are! I hope to fly these plane just a few extra occasions earlier than they retire, as there received’t be many alternatives to take action on different operators…
What do you make of this Lufthansa fleet growth?
