Lufthansa ends A340-600 operations after 23 years

Lufthansa has ended scheduled Airbus A340-600 operations. On Monday 19 October 2026, LH419 from Washington, D.C., landed in Frankfurt as the airline’s last scheduled commercial flight with the type, Lufthansa said in a press release.

The aircraft, registered D-AIHW, carried 267 passengers and 15 crew members. The flight time was eight hours and five minutes. The captain on the farewell flight was Francesco Sciortino, who is also a board member of Lufthansa Airlines and head of the airline’s Frankfurt hub.

24 aircraft over 23 years

Lufthansa received its first A340-600, registered D-AIHB, on 25 November 2003. The aircraft was named “Bremerhaven” the following year. At 75.30 metres long, the A340-600 was the world’s longest passenger aircraft at the time. Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile were among its first destinations in the airline’s network.

Lufthansa has operated a total of 24 aircraft of the type. According to the airline, the A340-600 carried more than 40 million passengers over 23 years of accident-free operations. The aircraft type has also been used for climate research through the CARIBIC project.

More aircraft types to be retired

The retirement of the A340-600 is part of what Lufthansa describes as its largest fleet renewal. The airline says the Airbus A340-300, Airbus A330-200 and Boeing 747-400 will also be phased out by 2027. The Airbus A350-1000 and Boeing 777-9 are among the planned replacement aircraft.

Lufthansa says 18 Boeing 787-9 aircraft are already in service, with a further 11 due for delivery by 2027. The aim is for newer-generation aircraft to account for 70 per cent of the long-haul fleet by 2028.

With fewer aircraft types, the airline aims to reduce complexity in maintenance, planning and training. The deliveries and further retirements remain the airline’s plans for now, rather than completed changes.