Lufthansa will put three of its stored A380s back into service in 2023. Airbus’ double-decker jets will begin flying in June from the Munich hub.
The German carrier’s plans, however, are to expand the fleet of the largest passenger plane in the world. According to Carsten Spohr, CEO of Lufthansa, the reactivation is just the beginning of the plan, which should be expanded next year.
Lufthansa once had 14 A380s in its fleet, but six of them were sold back to Airbus. The remaining eight aircraft were stored awaiting a decision on their fate.
Until last year, the German airline ruled out returning the planes to the fleet, but that all changed in 2022 when demand for long-haul flights grew dramatically.
Months ago, Spohr revised his predictions and admitted that the A380 would be used again. In addition, the delay in the delivery of new aircraft, especially the Boeing 777-9, motivated Lufthansa to rethink the use of the high-capacity four-engine, despite the high operating cost.
In addition to the 777-9, Lufthansa expects to receive 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350 jets in the coming years in order to reduce costs as well as emissions.
