Air TransportLufthansa will extend A340-600 operation until 2026 and keep the A380 for longer
Lufthansa announced it will have to keep its Airbus A340-600 aircraft in operation until mid-2026, as well as extend the use of the A380 for another five years in Frankfurt.
The decision, revealed during the company’s earnings presentation this week, was motivated by further delays in the deliveries of the new widebody Boeing 777-9 and Airbus A350-1000, which will not be available before 2027.
According to Carsten Spohr, CEO of Lufthansa, the company has never experienced such a significant problem in its history.
Lufthansa expects to receive eight new Boeing 787-9 jets by the end of this year and to increase its Airbus A350 fleet to 75 units by the end of the decade.
The first delivery of four Airbus A350-1000 is scheduled for December 2026, with the Boeing 777-9 set to enter operation in mid-2027.
Spohr indicated that the company will have to keep the A380 fleet for at least another five years. The two-deck jets were scheduled to be retired, but the high demand for long-haul flights, coupled with delays in the production of large-capacity jets, led the company to reactivate them.
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