
Lufthansa announced Monday that it intends to reintroduce several of its Airbus A380 superjumbo flights into service next year after they were grounded during the coronavirus pandemic. According to the airline, it is now determining how many A380s will be reactivated and where they would travel.
These planes are now in “deep storage” in France and Spain. In response to the sharp increase in customer demand and the delayed delivery of ordered aircraft, Lufthansa plans to reintroduce some of them into service in summer 2023.
The airline currently possesses eight A380s after selling six of them.
As air travel demand remained stubbornly low, the airline stated in September 2020 that it would phase out its A380s.
Six of the company’s 14 A380s, currently parked in Spain and France for “deep storage,” were sold on Monday, with the remaining eight remaining in the fleet “for the time being.”
Next summer, Lufthansa expects “a far more reliable air transport system worldwide.”
It is now determining how many A380s will be reactivated and where they will fly.
Lufthansa’s executive board wrote the news to the company’s customers. “We look forwards to having you back on board our A380s in the summer of 2023.”
The critics who said (during the height of the pandemic) that the A380 would never fly again were proven incorrect. With today’s uncertain fuel and workforce markets, it makes more sense to fly a larger aircraft than two with nearly the same number of passengers.
Although it is only speculation at this point, Etihad of Abu Dhabi is rumoured to be the next carrier to restart its A380s.