Lufthansa will keep more of its Airbus A340-300 aircraft available during the summer of 2027 because of further delays to the Boeing 777-9. The German airline currently operates 11 of the four-engine jets, with an average age of approximately 27 years.
The decision comes weeks after Lufthansa retired its last A340-600, which completed its final scheduled passenger flight on October 19, from Washington Dulles to Frankfurt. The smaller A340-300 is now the only version of the family remaining in the airline’s fleet.
CEO Carsten Spohr confirmed the revised plans during Lufthansa’s third-quarter earnings presentation. The airline had expected its first the aircraft in early 2027, but deliveries have shifted to the second quarter, prompting it to remove the aircraft from its summer schedule.
The A340-300 will help cover the capacity shortfall. Lufthansa has not specified how many additional aircraft will remain available under the revised plan.
Eleven A340-300s remain in service
Lufthansa’s remaining A340-300 fleet consists of 11 aircraft delivered between 1998 and 2001, all based at Frankfurt Airport. Each accommodates 279 passengers, with 30 business-class, 28 premium-economy and 221 economy seats.
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The aircraft continue to serve intercontinental routes, including flights from Frankfurt to Toronto, Detroit, Nairobi, Dubai and Luanda. One additional A340-300, registered D-AIFF, was withdrawn in September and flown to Teruel, Spain, for storage in October.
Lufthansa has not announced plans to reactivate stored aircraft. Its current fleet planning documents still identify 2027 as the retirement year for the A340-300.
However, preliminary schedules for winter 2027/2028 show the type operating from Frankfurt to Dubai, Luanda and Tehran, according to AeroRoutes. These entries are subject to change and do not confirm an extension of operations into 2028.
Boeing delays complicate fleet replacement
Lufthansa has ordered 21 Boeing 777-9s, a program originally scheduled to enter service in 2020. Certification and development delays have repeatedly postponed deliveries, with the German carrier now expecting its first aircraft in 2027.
Spohr has also acknowledged that some Boeing 787s originally allocated to Austrian Airlines could be redirected to Frankfurt in 2028 if Lufthansa continues to face aircraft shortages.
The A340-300 has already remained in service longer than initially planned because of delays in replacement aircraft. Its latest extension follows the retirement of the larger A340-600, which Lufthansa had previously brought back from storage during the pandemic recovery before withdrawing it permanently in October.
