Lufthansa has ended scheduled passenger operations with the Airbus A340-600, closing a 23-year chapter that included an unexpected return of the four-engine jet after the airline had initially retired the type during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The final service was LH419 from Washington Dulles to Frankfurt, operated by A340-600 D-AIHW. The aircraft departed the US capital at 6:46 p.m. on Sunday, October 18, and landed in Frankfurt at 8:45 a.m. local time on Monday after a flight of 7 hours and 21 minutes.
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Lufthansa had scheduled the Washington route to host the last A340-600 service as it prepared to withdraw its four remaining aircraft in October. The carrier is retaining the LH419 flight, but with other aircraft types replacing the 281-seat quadjet.
D-AIHW was delivered to Lufthansa in 2006 and was among the aircraft given a second career after the pandemic. The airline had placed its entire A340-600 fleet into storage in 2020, with several aircraft sent to Teruel, Spain, as the collapse in long-haul demand appeared to have ended the type’s career.
That retirement proved temporary. Lufthansa announced in 2021 that five A340-600s would return to service, largely because their cabins offered a First Class product at a time when the airline lacked enough other aircraft with the premium cabin. The jets initially returned in Munich before later being transferred to Frankfurt.
A340 remains in service with older -300 variant
The revival extended a relationship that began in 2003, when Lufthansa introduced the stretched A340 variant. The airline eventually operated 24 A340-600s, making it one of the largest customers for a model that Airbus produced only 97 times.
Powered by four Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engines, the A340-600 was Airbus’ longest passenger aircraft until the arrival of the A350-1000. Lufthansa’s aircraft also became distinctive for their lower-deck lavatories, reached by stairs from the main passenger cabin.
The withdrawal leaves the smaller A340-300 as the last member of the A340 family still operating scheduled services for Lufthansa. Those aircraft are also approaching retirement as the airline continues introducing newer twin-engine long-haul jets, including the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787.
Monday’s arrival does not necessarily mean D-AIHW or Lufthansa’s other remaining A340-600s have flown for the last time. Ferry or other non-scheduled flights may still take place as the aircraft leave the active fleet. The Washington service, however, closed their scheduled passenger career with the German airline — five years after it had appeared to be over for the first time.
