In view of a sharp increase in ticket demand, Lufthansa is putting its Airbus A380 giant jets back into operation. The approximate date has also already been set.
Lufthansa is expected to reactivate the Airbus 380, the largest passenger aircraft in the world with space for 509 passengers, from next summer. The reason for this is the sharp rise in demand for flights and the delayed delivery of ordered aircraft, the airline said. She is currently checking how many A380s will take off again and which destinations they should fly to.
Lufthansa currently still has 14 Airbus A380s that are currently parked long-term in Spain and France, the group said. Six of these aircraft have already been sold to Airbus. Eight Airbus A380s are theoretically available. In September 2020, during the Corona crisis, Lufthansa announced that the A380 would be retired. Lufthansa boss Carsten Spohr had almost ruled out reactivation of the A380 fleet.
The group explained its about-face with delays in the delivery of other aircraft types from Boeing. Lufthansa would like to renew its long-haul fleet with Boeing 777X and Boeing 787, but their delivery is being pushed further and further back. Originally, the Boeing 777X should have flown for Lufthansa as a launch customer for a long time, but commissioning is not expected before 2025.
The world’s largest passenger aircraft is expected to be used again from summer 2023, probably with the start of the summer flight schedule at the end of March 2023. First, the cockpit crews will have to be trained again.
Lufthansa board member Detlef Kayser said at the weekend that the airline did not expect flight operations to return to normal until next summer. “Unfortunately, we will hardly be able to realistically achieve a short-term improvement now in the summer.” Currently, it only helps to reduce the number of flights. This is not a German problem alone, but applies to the whole world.
Summer 2022: 3000 Lufthansa flights canceled
Lufthansa is canceling over 3,000 flights in the summer due to staff shortages. According to the airline, the main reason is the many corona diseases.
A lack of staff is currently causing problems for many airlines and airports. The airlines are canceling connections, and there are long queues at many airports. The federal government already announced at the weekend that it would be easier for foreign workers to enter the country, who should help out at short notice, especially with baggage claim.
Also read:
– Lufthansa, Eurowings and Swiss have to cancel hundreds of flights in July
– Lufthansa passengers sometimes have to get by without meals
– Eco Light Tariff: Lufthansa abolishes free seat selection for cheap tickets
