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Two-thirds of Lufthansa’s widebody flights at Frankfurt use aging four-engine jets

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Two-thirds of Lufthansa’s widebody flights at Frankfurt use aging four-engine jets
Policy
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Carsten Spohr Chief Executive Officer | Lufthansa Group

Frankfurt Airport serves as Lufthansa's busiest hub and holds the position of the world's fifth-busiest airport for long-haul flights, according to Cirium Diio data. Despite ranking 13th globally for widebody aircraft services, Frankfurt stands out due to Lufthansa’s continued reliance on the Airbus A340 and Boeing 747—aircraft types that are becoming less common worldwide.

Lufthansa operates seven different widebody aircraft variants from Frankfurt, but notably does not use its Airbus A380s at this location; those are exclusively based in Munich. The 747-8i and A340-300 remain Lufthansa’s leading twin-aisle types in terms of frequency from Frankfurt. When combined with other quadjets such as the 747-400 and A340-600, these aircraft account for about two-thirds of all Lufthansa’s widebody departures from the airport.

In October, scheduled departures for these models include approximately 351 flights with the 747-8i (25.9% of twin-aisle takeoffs), 321 with the A340-300 (23.8%), and additional flights with other models like the A330-300, 787-9, and A350 variants. The upcoming introduction of newer twinjets like the A350-1000 and Boeing 777-9 will eventually replace many of these older four-engine jets.

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For October, quadjet routes from Frankfurt cover a range of destinations across North America, Asia, Africa, and South America. The United States is by far the top market: nearly half (48%) of all quadjet departures head there during this period. Top routes served by these aircraft include Chicago O'Hare, New York JFK, and Boston.

The total number of quadjet departures has declined compared to last October. In particular, takeoffs using the A340-600 have dropped by 57%, while those with the 747-8i have fallen by 9%. Four more A340-600s have been placed in storage recently, with full retirement expected by early 2026. However, some models have seen increased activity: services on the A340-300 are up by 13% year-over-year, and flights operated by the 747-400 have grown by 32%, though still from a relatively low starting point.

Lufthansa continues to adapt its fleet strategy at Frankfurt as it prepares to phase out older aircraft in favor of new-generation models over the coming years.

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