Lufthansa sends an Airbus A340-300 to Teruel as 777-9 delays drag on

Lufthansa has officially removed another Airbus A340-300 from its active fleet. The aircraft, registered D-AIFF and named Delmenhorst, is nearly 25 years old. It completed its final scheduled commercial rotation on September 19, operating flight LH519 between San Jose and Frankfurt.

The quadjet was subsequently ferried to Düsseldorf on October 1 before making its final transit flight to Teruel, Spain, on October 7. Following this transfer, the German carrier retains eleven A340-300 airframes in its active operational inventory.

Despite this departure, the quadjet type maintains an expanded operational timeline within the group due to ongoing certification and delivery delays surrounding the Boeing 777-9. Addressing long-haul fleet planning with a view toward summer 2027, Lufthansa Group Chief Executive Officer Carsten Spohr recently indicated that maintaining a significant number of A340-300 aircraft in service had shifted from an alternative contingency into the primary operational strategy.