Lufthansa increases use of Boeing 747s despite global decline

Lufthansa is currently the largest operator of Boeing 747s by scheduled flights this August, accounting for two-thirds of all such flights globally. In August 2025, Lufthansa will operate 1,116 out of the total 1,676 worldwide Boeing 747 flights. Last year during the same period, it operated 1,084 such flights.

The airline operates both the older Boeing 747-400 and the newer Boeing 747-8 models. While usage of the older -400 model has dropped from 324 to 310 flights this August compared to last year, this decrease is offset by an increase in -8 model operations—from 760 up to 806 flights.

The difference in ASMs can be partly attributed to seating configurations; while the older -400 seats more passengers per aircraft (371 across three classes), the newer -8 focuses more on premium cabins with a total of 364 seats across four classes.

According to ch-aviation data cited in the article, Lufthansa’s fleet includes eight Boeing 747-400s with an average age of over twenty-five years and nineteen Boeing 747-8s averaging nearly twelve years old.

Lufthansa uses its Boeing 747-400s on daily routes from Frankfurt to cities including Bengaluru, Boston, Singapore (the farthest at over six thousand miles away), Toronto, and Vancouver. The larger fleet of newer -8 aircraft allows for more frequent long-haul deployments as well; these jets fly daily from Frankfurt to several destinations including Buenos Aires—the most distant at over seven thousand miles.

The first delivery of a Boeing 747 was made on January 22,1970 with Pan American World Airways as launch customer; the last delivery occurred on January 31,2023 after a total production run of over fifteen hundred units.

"Lufthansa's stretch jumbo jet seats 364 passengers and features a brand-new, modern cabin design concept. The Boeing 747-8 performs better than its predecessor models when it comes to fuel efficiency, too, thanks to its innovative wings and, most importantly, its General Electric engines."