Lufthansa has completed the final scheduled commercial passenger flight of its Airbus A340-600 fleet, ending 23 years of operations with the four-engine widebody. Flight LH419 from Washington Dulles to Frankfurt landed on Monday with aircraft D-AIHW carrying 267 passengers and 15 crew members, closing the type’s scheduled passenger career with the German airline.
The approximately eight-hour flight formed part of Lufthansa Group’s fleet renewal programme, which is replacing older four-engine aircraft with more fuel-efficient Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s. The group plans to have 70% of Lufthansa’s long-haul fleet made up of next-generation aircraft by 2028.
Lufthansa introduced the A340-600 in 2003 and operated 24 aircraft of the type during its history. Airbus built 97 A340-600s, making Lufthansa one of the model’s largest operators. The 75.3-metre aircraft was powered by four Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engines and became known for its lower-deck economy lavatories, accessed by stairs from the passenger cabin.
The aircraft’s retirement does not necessarily rule out ferry or other non-scheduled flights as the remaining jets leave active service. Lufthansa is also withdrawing other older long-haul types, including the A340-300, A330-200 and Boeing 747-400, as newer twin-engine aircraft assume a greater share of intercontinental flying.