October 18, 2026 — Lufthansa flies its last Airbus A340-600 passenger service tonight, and it starts retiring its final eight Boeing 747-400s next weekend.
Farewell to the A340-600
The last scheduled A340-600 flight is LH419 from Washington Dulles to Frankfurt. It is scheduled to leave Dulles at 5:55 p.m. local time on Sunday, October 18, and land in Frankfurt at 7:55 a.m. on Monday, October 19. That ends almost 23 years of Lufthansa flying the type. Earlier reports had given a final date of October 25, but Lufthansa and its current schedules point to October 18.
Lufthansa flew 24 A340-600s in total. It took its first, D-AIHB, on November 25, 2003, and flew the first scheduled service on December 15, 2003, from Frankfurt to Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile. At 75.3 meters (247 feet), the A340-600 was the world’s longest passenger jet until the Boeing 747-8 arrived. The fleet was parked in Spain in 2020, and some aircraft returned from summer 2022 with an eight-seat First Class cabin.
Lufthansa Group announced on April 16 that its last four A340-600s would leave in October. It cited jet fuel prices that had more than doubled and the costs of labor disputes. Airbus A350-900s and A350-1000s and Boeing 787-9s are taking over. The first A350-1000 is scheduled to fly Munich–Tokyo Haneda on December 3. Because the Boeing 777-9 is delayed, CEO Carsten Spohr said the summer 2027 Frankfurt schedule is being planned without it, and more A340-300s will stay in service.
747-400 retirements begin
| Date | What changes |
|---|---|
| October 24, 2026 | First two of the remaining eight 747-400s grounded at the end of the summer schedule |
| October 25, 2026 | A350-900 takes over Frankfurt–New York JFK; 747-400s continue to Bengaluru, Singapore and Houston |
| November 12 – December 14, 2026 | Daily 747-400 flights to Shanghai Pudong |
| December 31, 2026 | Last scheduled 747-400 day on Houston |
| February 10–28, 2027 | 747-400 to Shanghai Pudong six times weekly |
| 2027 (exact date TBA) | Remaining six 747-400s retired in stages; farewell flight planned Frankfurt–New York JFK |
The 747-400s average 26.5 years old, and Lufthansa has already retired 15 of them. Its 17 Boeing 747-8s are not covered by the 2027 deadline, and several are getting the Allegris cabin. Two 747-8s, D-ABYD and D-ABYG, leave the fleet in 2026; Lufthansa has not named the buyer. Until October 24, the 747-400s also fly to Vancouver and Toronto, but those cities are not on the 747-400 schedule after that.
Also: Saudi Arabia suspensions
According to The National, Lufthansa’s Riyadh flights are suspended until November 18 and its Dammam flights until November 30. Group airline Eurowings is scheduled to resume Jeddah flights on November 12.
What it means for travelers
- Tonight’s LH419 is a collector’s flight. Expect heavy interest from enthusiasts.
- Fewer seats on Frankfurt–JFK from October 25. The A350-900 is a smaller aircraft than the 747-400, so check the seat map.
- Vancouver and Toronto lose the 747-400 after October 24. Check which aircraft is flying, and how many seats it has, before planning trips on those routes.
- Want a last 747-400 ride? Bengaluru, Singapore, Houston (through December 31) and Shanghai Pudong are the remaining 747-400 routes. Farewell flights in 2027 are likely to fill quickly.
- No Lufthansa Riyadh flights before November 19.
Sources
- AeroCorner — Lufthansa A340-600 Last Flight: LH419 Oct. 18
- Aviation A2Z — Lufthansa to Retire Last 8 Boeing 747-400s After 56 Years
- The National — Riyadh airport reopens: Which airlines are still cancelling flights to Saudi Arabia?
Get the Dynamic Travel News Weekly Recap by email every Sunday
Cruise, hotel, airline and travel-warning news for travelers and customers of Dynamic Travel & Cruises. Free.
Subscribe free
