It looks as though Lufthansa may be quietly downsizing its Airbus A380 plans for next summer. The airline had previously said that it would withdraw four to five of the giants from storage, but this week a Lufthansa spokesperson told Simple Flying that the current plan is

“to reactivate at least three A380s to be ready for operation early next summer”.

Lufthansa surprised many when it revealed that it would bring the Airbus A380 back into service earlier this year. After all, the airline’s Group CEO, Carsten Spohr, had said that it “obviously” wouldn’t happen. Thankfully for A380 fans, Carsten’s comments turned out to be premature. But just how many aircraft will return?

‘4-5’ becomes ‘at least 3’

Lufthansa had been expected to take four to five Airbus A380s out of storage to support next summer’s peak. This was confirmed by a Lufthansa spokesperson in June who told Simple Flying,

"In an internal meeting Carsten Spohr confirmed that Lufthansa will station 4-5 Airbus A380 in Munich as of summer 2023.”

According to Lufthansa, the airline still intends to base its Airbus A380 aircraft at Munich Airport next summer, though it now seems it could operate fewer A380s.

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Photo: Tom Boon - Simple Flying

Per the comment at the start of the article, the official number is now “at least three”. Of course, this could still mean that 4-5 A380s return to service, but it also means that the airline could opt to just bring three of the giants back out of a total of 14 aircraft.

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So far, only one Airbus A380 has actually left storage in Teruel, but we will see how many follow suit and how quickly they do so. Of course, Simple Flying will report any updates regarding the Lufthansa summer Airbus A380 plans.

Where might the A380s fly?

Lufthansa hasn’t revealed where the Airbus A380 will fly next summer, so we’ll need to wait for further announcements before we know more. One thing we do know is where the German flag carrier flew the Airbus A380 before the pandemic. In July 2019, Lufthansa had just three Airbus A380 routes scheduled from Munich. According to Cirium schedule data, these were,

  • Hong Kong (HKG) - Daily
  • Los Angeles (LAX) - Daily
  • Beijing Capital (PEK) - Daily
MUC A380s July 2019
Photo: Cirium

If it were to implement a carbon copy of the previous Munich double-decker schedule, Lufthansa would require more than three Airbus A380s, as two of the three rotations took longer than 24 hours. This means that the next flight would need to depart before the previous one had returned, and thus the same aircraft could not be used. In comparison, there were seven daily routes from the airline’s Frankfurt Airport stronghold.

How many Airbus A380s do you think Lufthansa will bring back to service? Let us know what you think and why in the comments below by clicking the blue button!

  • Tom Boon-169
    Lufthansa
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    LH/DLH
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Frankfurt Airport, Munich Airport
    Year Founded:
    1953
    Alliance:
    Star Alliance
    Airline Group:
    Lufthansa Group
    CEO:
    Carsten Spohr
    Country:
    Germany