Where Does Lufthansa Fly Its Boeing 747-400s?

Since its entry into commercial service in January 1970, the Boeing 747 has been a revolutionary widebody and is by far one of the most easily recognizable aircraft in the sky. However, the quadjets are becoming a rare sight worldwide as airlines retire them to operate more modern and efficient aircraft.

The 747-400 was the most produced variant of Boeing’s jumbo jet, with deliveries spanning 20 years between 1989 and 2009. German flag carrier Lufthansa is one of the few airlines still operating passenger flights on the 747-400. According to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, the quadjets will fly to 12 international destinations in 2024. However, the routes change monthly and seasonally. In June 2024, the jumbos are flying to six destinations from Frankfurt Airport (FRA).

Connecting Europe to North America

Data from ch-aviation shows that Lufthansa has eight 747-400s in its fleet, with an average age of 24.2 years. The oldest aircraft is D-ABVM, which was delivered in February 1998. The youngest, D-ABTL, was delivered in March 2002. Four of the six destinations served by the jumbos are in North America.

The United States

In the US, Lufthansa currently flies its 747-400s to New York John F Kennedy Airport (JFK) and Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD). Lufthansa has daily 747-400 flights to JFK, offering up to 2,597 seats per week (each way). They operate flight LH400, departing Frankfurt at 10:55 and arriving in New York at 13:25 local time. In total, the airline has 21 weekly flights to JFK from Munich and Frankfurt.

Photo: Joe Kunzler | Simple Flying

The -400s have 272 seats in economy, 32 in premium economy, and 67 in business class. Chicago is served three times a week, with up to 1,113 seats each way. The jumbos operate flight LH430, departing Frankfurt at 10:50 and arriving in Chicago at 12:55. The German carrier has up to 27 weekly flights from Munich and Frankfurt to Chicago.

Flights to Canada

In Canada, the 747-400s serve Vancouver International (YVR) and Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ). Both airports are served daily, with up to 2,597 seats. Flight LH492 departs Frankfurt at 13:20 and arrives in Vancouver at 14:20. In total, Vancouver is served 14 times per week with daily flights from Frankfurt and daily flights from Munich.

Photo: Tom Boon | Simple Flying

Meanwhile, Toronto receives flight LH470, which departs Frankfurt at 13:55 and arrives in the Canadian city at 16:20. Lufthansa also offers 14 weekly to Toronto, with an additional seven from Munich. The other service is operated on the A350-900, giving a total of 4,438 seats each week.

Connecting Europe to Asia

Lufthansa is also flying its aging quadjets to two Asian destinations. Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is the type’s top destination in the east. The 747-400s fly to the Indian city daily, offering 2,597 seats each way. They operate flight LH756, which departs Frankfurt at 13:15 and arrives in Mumbai at 00:55 local time.

Photo: Oliver Roesler | Lufthansa

The other destination is Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG), which has three weekly flights. Flight LH732 departs Frankfurt at 20:55 and arrives in Shanghai at 14:50. The German carrier flies to Pudong Airport 17 times a week, with an additional daily service from Frankfurt and another one from Munich. The other flights are offered on the A350-900 and A340-600.

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Longest Boeing 747-400 routes

Lufthansa is currently the largest operator of the passenger version of the Boeing 747. In addition to the eight -400s, the German carrier has 19 of the newer -8 variant. While 2024 might be the last full year of operations for the older -400s, the -8s will continue flying for a few more years. The 747-8s serve more destinations, including Johannesburg, Los Angeles, Singapore, Tokyo, and São Paulo.

Photo: Mirko Kuzmanovic I Shutterstock

The other five destinations served by the 747-400 this year are Bengaluru (BLR), Delhi (DEL), Washington (IAD), Houston (IAH), and Seoul (ICN). The airline also has two roundtrip services to Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) on July 27 and July 20, 2024. In terms of distance, this is how Lufthansa’s 12 routes rank:

Frankfurt-Singapore is not served regularly, but it would be the longest at 5,551 NM (10,282 km). Lufthansa is the only airline flying the Boeing 747-400 to and from the US, as well as Frankfurt Airport.

Across all variants, there are eight US airports with passenger 747 flights this month, namely New York JFK, Atlanta, Newark, Washington, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, and San Francisco. Lufthansa has 747 flights to seven airports (Atlanta excluded). Meanwhile, Korean Air serves Atlanta and JFK, while Air China serves JFK.

What are your thoughts on this story? Have you ever flown on Lufthansa’s Boeing 747-400s? Please let us know in the comments!