Lufthansa, Airbus Mark Delivery of 600th Aircraft

DALLAS — Lufthansa (LH) received its 600th Airbus aircraft during a delivery ceremony at Airbus Hamburg today, 47 years after the delivery of its first one.

The Lufthansa Group has received more Airbus aircraft than any other customer worldwide, it has been the launch customer for Airbus aircraft four times, and it is the third-biggest A350 customer. A special livery for the milestone A321neo was unveiled today at the delivery ceremony at the Hamburg-Finkenwerder site.

On February 9, 1976, LH received its first Airbus A300B2, laying the groundwork for a long-lasting partnership in European civil aviation that has now lasted almost 50 years. Since then, more than ten different Airbus aircraft types have been supplied to nearly every air operator in the Lufthansa Group.

Airbus A321neo, Lufthansa's 600th Airbus Aircraft. Photo: Dirk Grothe/Airways

History of Lufthansa-Airbus

Lufthansa signed its first purchase agreement with Airbus for three A300B2s in 1975 and received its first such aircraft from Europe’s new manufacturer seven months later on February 9, 1976. Subsequent years saw the first deliveries of further Airbus types: the A310 in 1983, followed by the A300-600 in 1987.

The first Airbus A320 to join the LH fleet was delivered in October 1989. Over 370 aircraft of the A320 family are in service today with the various airlines of the LH Group. The first A340 followed in 1993, and just one year later the LH Airbus fleet passed the 100-aircraft mark. The A330 followed in 2004, and in 2010 the A380 joined the airline's long-haul fleet.

Lufthansa has also served as the launch customer for the A310, the A340, the A220, and the A320neo. While the Airbus A320 family is a cornerstone of today’s LH fleet, the A350-900, which first arrived in 2016, has also become a key component in the German carrier's long-haul fleet.

Airbus A321neo. Photo: Dirk Grothe/Airways

600th Airbus named ‘Münster’

The 600th Airbus aircraft to be delivered to Lufthansa, which bears the registration D-AIEQ, is an Airbus A321neo. Seating 215 passengers, the A321neo is a state-of-the-art and fuel-efficient short- and medium-haul twinjet that has been in Lufthansa service since 2019. D-AIEQ has been named ‘Münster’ after the German city.

‘Münster’ A321neo. Photo: Dirk Grothe/Airways

Comments from Lufthansa, Airbus Officials

Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Lufthansa Group Executive Board: “Lufthansa and Airbus are united by a very special partnership. Ever since Airbus’s creation, we have enjoyed close and trusting collaborations on a wide range of research projects and new developments. Lufthansa has also served no fewer than four times as Airbus’s launching customer for a new aircraft type, most recently for the A320neo family that is proving such a success.

The LH Chairman added, "Lufthansa has ordered every family of aircraft that Airbus has developed over the past five decades. And more than 90 percent of the 600 Airbuses that we have taken delivery of during that time are still in Lufthansa Group service today. We also wish to welcome our 700th Airbus to our fleet as part of Lufthansa’s centennial celebrations in 2026.”

Airbus CEO, Lufthansa Chairman celebrate 600th Airbus Aircraft. Photo: Dirk Grothe/Airways

Guillaume Faury, Airbus CEO, “Lufthansa and Airbus have been partners ever since we delivered the first Lufthansa A300 back in February 1976. Since then, Lufthansa has taken delivery of an Airbus aircraft an average of every month – 600 of them in almost 50 years! No other airline group has received more of our aircraft to date.

The CEO ended by thanking on behalf of the company "all the teams at Lufthansa for all their confidence and trust. We look forward to the next 50 years of our partnership and our shared commitment to the goal of sustainable air travel.”