Summary
- Lufthansa has removed six out of eight Airbus A380s from storage due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
- The fleet has been reduced from 14 examples as six were sold when the planes were parked.
- It is believed that all eight A380s will be operational by the end of next year.
Lufthansa, one of the few operators of the Airbus A380, has been working to fully restore its operation of the jumbo jet. The airline grounded the aircraft type when the pandemic shuttered the industry in 2020. More than four years later, six of its eight A380s have been removed from storage. But rather than being based at Lufthansa’s main hub and operations base, Frankfurt Airport (FRA), the aircraft operate out of its secondary hub, Munich Airport (MUC).
While some may think that it is the most logical for the airline to base its largest aircraft from its primary hub, there must be somewhat of a strategy behind the A380s home in Munich. Regardless, Lufthansa is not hesitating on usage of the aircraft, with more than 240 flights scheduled this month. From MUC, the A380 exclusively operates daily flights to four destinations in the US – offering over 122,000 total seats. Its longest flight is nearly 6,000 miles.
Frankfurt chance: “close to zero”
When the pandemic hit, airlines worldwide quickly consolidated their operations. This led to the grounding of several planes and the unfortunate early retirement of others. Lufthansa was not left out, as the health crisis significantly affected its A380 fleet. The carrier originally had 14 A380s pre-pandemic. After the planes were grounded in 2020, Lufthansa sold six examples, which reduced the fleet size to just eight. As the state of the industry was unprecedented, the airline’s officials knew one thing for sure: the A380 would not return to Frankfurt.
Photo: Lufthansa
Klaus Froese, a former member of the carrier’s executive board, spoke about the plan for its remaining A380s in an interview in 2020, according to Forbes.
“In Frankfurt, the chance that we will again operate any A380 is close to zero. That’s all but decided.”
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In fact, it seemed at one point that the aircraft could have never rejoined Lufthansa’s fleet. According to One Mile At A Time, the carrier previously explained that it would only bring back its A380s “in the event of an unexpectedly rapid market recovery.”
Nonetheless, Froese also projected that the aircraft would return to service in 2022. However, it was not until another year after that. Lufthansa announced in June 2022 that it would reinstate A380 operations, and that they would be based at MUC, according to One Mile At A Time. The carrier officially reactivated the fleet during the summer of last year.
Photo: Jake Hardiman | Simple Flying
According to Forbes, Lufthansa is a partial owner of the terminal at MUC, which makes it more cost-efficient to operate the aircraft there. Jost Lammers, the CEO of MUC, previously spoke about the A380’s new base, mentioning the airline’s confidence in the airport.
“Lufthansa’s recent decision to station its future Airbus A380 fleet entirely in Munich is, for me, a clear sign of confidence in our Munich hub.”
Photo: Chittapon Kaewkiriya | Shutterstock
In the last year, Lufthansa has gradually restored its A380s into service. The airline attributed its decision to bring back the aircraft to rapidly rising passenger demand and the recovery of international demand. Delays in deliveries of other aircraft, such as the Boeing 777X, were also a factor in the A380’s return. It is now projected that the 777X will not enter service until at least 2025.
“Commercial and operational reasons”
During the pandemic, the A380s were stored in France and Spain. Five examples are currently in service, but six are out of storage. Simple Flying reported that D-AIMB, the sixth A380, departed from its storage in Teruel, Spain, on May 31st. The aircraft will reportedly spend a month on the ground in Manila, Philippines, for maintenance before entering service.
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Lufthansa Removes Its 6th Airbus A380 From Storage In Teruel With Positioning Flight To Frankfurt
The aircraft will undergo hard maintenance in Manila before returning to regular scheduled services.
This development means only two more A380s are stored. The aircraft will reportedly return to service next year, marking all eight of Lufthansa’s A380s being operational by the end of 2025. With all eight examples, however, the aircraft type will continue to remain based at MUC. In a statement to Simple Flying on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the airline confirmed that both its A380s and A350s are deployed from MUC as it supports “fleet harmonization” at the hub.
“The A380s (as well as the A350s) operate from Munich due to commercial and operational reasons, namely for example fleet harmonization at our hub in MUC.”
Lufthansa formerly deployed the A380s out of FRA to several destinations around the world:
- Bangkok
- Delhi
- Hong Kong
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- San Francisco
- Seoul
Photo: Kittikun Yoksap | Shutterstock
In 2018, the aircraft type first appeared at MUC, flying routes to six destinations, according to Forbes:
- Beijing
- Hong Kong
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- San Franciso
- Shanghai
Operating on routes to the US
According to aviation data and analytics provider Cirium, the A380 now only flies to four destinations from MUC: Boston, Washington, DC, New York, and Los Angeles.
Lufthansa Airbus A380 Operation (June 2024) |
||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Origin |
Destination |
Miles |
Number of Flights |
Total Seats |
Munich Airport (MUC) |
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) |
3,851 |
30 |
15,270 |
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) |
Munich Airport (MUC) |
30 |
15,270 |
|
Munich Airport (MUC) |
Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) |
4,263 |
30 |
15,270 |
Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) |
Munich Airport (MUC) |
30 |
15,270 |
|
Munich Airport (MUC) |
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) |
4,038 |
30 |
15,270 |
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) |
Munich Airport (MUC) |
30 |
15,270 |
|
Munich Airport (MUC) |
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) |
5,989 |
30 |
15,270 |
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) |
Munich Airport (MUC) |
30 |
15,270 |
|
TOTAL: |
240 |
122,160 |
The airline has configured its A380s to accommodate a whopping 509 passengers. In first class, there are eight seats in a 1-2-1 layout. The business class comprises 78 seats in a 2-2-2 configuration. In economy class, there are 52 premium economy recliner seats in a 2-4-2 configuration, while the remaining 371 standard seats complete the cabin in a 3-4-3 layout.
Have you ever flown on one of Lufthansa’s Airbus A380s? Be sure to let us know by leaving a comment below.