MIAMI – Lufthansa (LH), in a rather unexpected move, has announced the redeployment of part of its Airbus 340-600 fleet, initially slated for sale.
The reason behind the decision to dust off five of the 17 A340 stored, of which 12 are up for sale, is the intention to provide LH’s “five stars hub” in Munich (MUC) with aircraft offering a premium four classes configuration.
Lufthansa plans to deploy the A340 on selected routes, primarily in North America and Asia, with eight seats in First class along with Business, Premium Economy, and Economy classes.
Premium Offering in Mind
The aircraft will start service during summer 2022 to meet the increasing demand for premium travel both for business or leisure travelers. To fully meet this demand which is expected to continue, LH is planning, in late summer 2023, the deployment of its first A350-900 configured with a First Class so to continue to increase the premium travel offer out of MUC.
Besides reviving mothballed A340s, LH is continuing with its fleet modernization with the acquisitions of ten long-haul aircraft of which five are Boeing 787-900 and five A350-900. The first of these aircraft will enter service in Winter 2021.
Besides long-haul equipment, LH is currently taking monthly deliveries of A320neo and is awaiting delivery for a further 107 A320neo aircraft from now to 2027.
