Last fall, Lufthansa confirmed that it would return its retired Airbus A380 fleet to service for summer 2023. Now the airline has the details.
The double-decker A380 will begin flying daily between Munich Airport (MUC) and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) on June 1, Lufthansa confirmed Wednesday.
Want more airline-specific news? Sign up for TPG’s free new biweekly Aviation newsletter.
New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) follows with daily A380 service to Munich beginning July 4. The airline says it expects to have four of the aircraft operating by the end of the year. Lufthansa currently owns eight of the quad-jets, which have been grounded since travel demand fell to record lows at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The airline sold six additional aircraft during the grounding.
Lufthansa’s A380s can seat 509 passengers across four cabins. There are eight first class seats, 78 seats in business class, 52 premium economy recliners, and 371 economy seats.
It’s among the few aircraft in Lufthansa’s current fleet that operates with a first class cabin. The airline also offers first class aboard its Boeing 747-8, which operates from Frankfurt to several cities, including Washington Dulles, Houston, Miami, Chicago and San Francisco, according to Cirium flight schedules.
Sign up for our daily newsletter
Flight Review: Lufthansa first class on the Airbus A380
The airline’s Airbus A340-600 also features first class. That fleet type was also retired at the start of the pandemic and then reactivated due to the unexpectedly rapid return of international travel demand, partly to make the premium cabin available for the 2022 summer travel season.
That aircraft currently operates flights from Munich to Boston and New York. Lufthansa noted that the A380 offers 80% more capacity. It was not immediately clear whether the A340-600 would be redeployed onto different routes.
Flights on the A380 go on sale on Thursday, March 23.
Lufthansa will roll out a new first-class cabin as part of its new “Allegris” cabin design, set to debut later this year.
Related reading:
