As the Airbus A380 returns to Lufthansa’s fleet after a three-year hiatus, the German carrier has revealed the initial routes for the aircraft’s reintroduction.
The carrier’s Airbus A380s will be based at Munich Airport (MUC), initially flying between the German city and New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Boston Logan International Airport (JFK). Initially, starting from June 1, 2023, Lufthansa will operate a daily flight between MUC and BOS, while from July 4, 2023, a daily flight will carry passengers between MUC and JFK.
Tickets will be on sale from March 23, 2023. There will be a total of 509 seats onboard the Lufthansa A380 split into four classes: eight First Class, 78 Business Class, 52 Premium Economy, and 371 Economy Class seats.
The German airline decided to reactivate the Airbus A380 for the upcoming summer travel season in 2022, responding to the high demand for travel in the coming months. Lufthansa also cited aircraft delivery delays as one of the reasons behind the reactivation of the Super Jumbo.
By the end of 2023, Lufthansa plans to operate four Airbus A380s out of MUC, with plans to add two more aircraft of the type by the end of 2024. Still, going forward, the airline does not plan to operate the double-decker jet in the long-term future. During its 2022 results presentation, the company outlined that its long-haul fleet in the future will include the Airbus A350-900 and -1000, A330-300, and the Boeing 747-8, 777-300, 777X-9, and 787-9.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, when Lufthansa decommissioned all its A380s, the airline had 14 aircraft of the type, six of which will be returned to Airbus by November 2023.