After several months of speculation, Lufthansa announced the reactivation of an unspecified number of its Airbus A380s for the northern summer of 2023.
Faced with a lack of widebody aircraft in its intercontinental fleet because of the rapid return of long-haul travel, the company is finalizing details of the superjumbo’s return.
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“Today we decided to bring the A380, which continues to enjoy great popularity, back into service at Lufthansa in the summer of 2023,” Deutsche Lufthansa AG Executive Committee members announced.
The company planned three scenarios for the recovery of intercontinental travel in a Post-COVID era: a slow revival of operations, a benchmark scenario and dynamic return with high demand for travel.
“By the summer of 2023, we not only expect to have a much more reliable air transportation system worldwide,” the Executive Committee continued.
The company is currently evaluating how many A380s will be reactivated and to which destinations it will fly. In October 2022, six A380s will be returned to Airbus: these aircraft were already planned for deprogramming prior to the pandemic. Leaving eight remaining units to return to the fleet with capacity for 509 passengers divided into four classes.
The company could return to operating the superjumbo in its main U.S. markets such as New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. North America has been one of the airline’s fastest recovering intercontinental markets during the summer season.
