Lufthansa A380 Returns to Munich Airport

DALLAS — A Lufthansa (LH) A380 landed safely at Munich Airport (MUC) today April 12, officially back in Germany after a three-year hiatus.

After checks and maintenance at Lufthansa Technik in Frankfurt and abroad, the first LH A380 with the registration D-AIMK landed again at MUC at noon today. The A380 was pushed into a hangar, where it was greeted by a Bavarian orchestra.

From June, the superjumbo will fly from MUC on long-haul distances to the United States.

Lufthansa D-AIMC Airbus A380. Photo: Julian Schöpfer/Airways

Lufthansa's A380

The Airbus A380 is the largest passenger aircraft in the world. It is 73 meters long and 24 meters high and offers space for 509 passengers at Lufthansa. Before the pandemic, LH had fourteen A380s, all based at Frankfurt Airport (FRA).

The aircraft retirement stretch increased during the pandemic. LH parked its A380s in the desert of Spain at Teruel (TEV) and France at Tarbes-Lourdes (LDE), some to be returned to Airbus. However, the demand for long-haul flights is rising sharply again.

Since there are still new aircraft delivery difficulties, LH is again relying on the A380. A total of four of the superjumbos are to return to Munich by the end of 2023 and be stationed there.

Lufthansa D-AIMC A380 at the gate. Photo: Lufthansa

Lufthansa A380 Schedule

D-AIMK landing training was carried out this morning at Leipzig Halle Airport (LEJ). The A380 touched down a total of 12 times and took off directly again. More such Training flights for cabin and cockpit will follow within the next weeks.

From June 1, D-AIMK will resume scheduled flights on the route from Munich to Boston (BOS). From June 4, the A380 will also fly to New York (JFK). This makes the German carrier the second A380 operator in MUC next to Emirates (EK), which operates the A380 on the Munich-Dubai route.

The LH A380 offers 509 seats in four travel classes: eight seats in First Class, 78 seats in Business Class, 52 seats in Premium Eco, and 371 seats in Economy Class.

Lufthansa has also confirmed the return of four A380s, but there can be significantly more. In total, LH could refloat a maximum of four more A380s, the remaining six of the total fourteen aircraft will be returned to Airbus in November 2023.

How many A380s do you think will return to the skies with the German flag carrier? Make sure to leave a comment on our social media channels.

Featured image: Lufthansa operated 14 A380s before the pandemic. Photo: Brad Tisdel/Airways

https://airwaysmag.com/lufthansa-a380-boston-new-york-flights/