After months of speculation, Lufthansa has finally confirmed which cities will be the first to see the return of the iconic Airbus A380. Last year, the German flag carrier said it was planning to reintroduce the double-decker to its Munich-based fleet, but did not say when or where it would be flying.
We now know that from June 1, daily links from the Bavarian capital to Boston will be served by the A380, operating as flights LH424/5.
That’s not all, just over a month later, Lufthansa will add a second super jumbo destination. From July 4, LH410/1 between Munich and New York/JFK will be operated by the Toulouse titan, representing a major upgrade from the A340-600 which currently plies the route.
With 509 seats, Lufthansa’s A380 has almost 80 percent more capacity than the -600 quadjet. The German carrier configures its A380s with four classes comprising eight seats in first class, 78 in business, 52 in premium economy and 371 in economy.
Lufthansa cited a “significant increase in demand for airline tickets” and “the delayed delivery of ordered aircraft” behind the decision to reactivate the A380. It says that by the end of the 2023, four examples will be part of its Munich-based fleet, indicating that additional A380 frequencies and/or destinations will be announced in the coming months.
The German firm is not alone in bringing the A380 out of retirement. Carriers including Qantas, British Airways, Korean Air and Qatar Airways are all flying the double decker once again as demand for air travel soars. However others such as China Southern, Air France and Malaysia Airlines have grounded the double-decker permanently, citing high maintenance costs and fuel bills.
