The long-haul Airbus A340 is available in two different configurations operated by Lufthansa: the new, ultralong A340-600, which can accommodate 297 passengers, and its older, smaller sibling, the Airbus A340-300, which can accommodate 283. The latter was the first four-engined widebody jet produced by Airbus and has been a member of Lufthansa’s fleet since the early 1990s. When fully laden, it was so heavy that, in a design first, a fourth landing gear unit was added beneath the center of the fuselage because the A340’s two rear landing gears were insufficient to support its maximum weight when it came in to land.
Twelve of Lufthansa’s Airbus A340-600s are now formally for sale. The flag carrier sent the jets to long-term storage in May 2020, and they have since been formally retired. These aircraft, which range in age from 12 to 18 years, could all use a new operator, if one is available.
According to Aerotelegraph, 12 of Lufthansa’s former Airbus A340-600s are being offered for sale to interested parties. Before the pandemic struck, the airline operated 17 of these four-engined aircraft, all of which are now parked in long-term storage in Teurel, a Spanish aircraft cemetery. Lufthansa said in January of this year that these birds would no longer fly for the company.
These A346s still have a lot of life left in them despite being retired. According to ch-aviation, the newest aircraft in the fleet, D-AIHZ open, joined it in May 2009. D-AIHB, the oldest, made its debut in November 2003. Any new buyer might easily find years of use from these A340s because of the variety of ages and uses. In addition, the aircraft is outfitted with Lufthansa’s four-class, 252 seat configuration, which includes eight first class seats.
Notably, Lufthansa has decided not to sell any of its 13 to 15-year-old aircraft. Why are just the newest and oldest jets being sold is a mystery. After contacting Lufthansa for comment, Simple Flying will update this post with any response.
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Video resource: AFpilote
