Lufthansa Announces Schedule for A380 Return to Service

[MUC,BOS],[MUC,JFK],[MUC,LAX],[MUC,BKK]

Several weeks ago Lufthansa announced that after three years it would be bringing back the A380 to its mainline route network. Now, the airline has announced routes and the associated schedules. 
 

Lufthansa has announced it will be bringing back its famed A380s this fall and will largely be based out of Munich Airport (MUC). Prior to the pandemic, many of Lufthansa's A380s were shifted away from routes based out of Frankfurt (FRA) and moved to MUC (MUC) due to shifting demand patterns.

With the four A380s, Lufthansa will fly daily from Munich to four cities: Boston (BOS), New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), and Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi (BKK).

Boston and JFK will see A380 service restored this summer, but Lufthansa currently only plans to fly the A380 to BOS and JFK through late October. Flight LH423/424 to Boston will be equipped with A380s beginning June 1, and Lufthansa plans to run the A380 there through October 27. 

JFK will see A380 service on flight LH410/411 slightly later beginning on July 4, with A380 service set to last through October 28. Boston and JFK both currently see service on Lufthansa's A340 as of this spring. 

Los Angeles will be the first city to see A380 service resume on a more permanent basis, with the daily flight from Munich, LH452/453, resuming with the A380 on October 5. The aircraft is set to be used at least through March 30, 2024.

Lufthansa currently serves LAX with an A350 from Munich and is set to fly the A350 through October 5. The A380 marks a major upgrade over the A350 as it features Lufthansa's award-winning first class cabin and extensive storage space for economy passengers on the upper deck.

As for Bangkok, the flight, LH 772/773 will resume on October 28 and fly at least through March 30, 2024. Bangkok is the only city of the four that previously did not have A380 service from Munich although pre-COVID Lufthansa flew its A380s from Frankfurt to Bangkok.

There are also several cities that previously saw Lufthansa A380 service that could be in line to receive the jet again if Lufthansa continues to reactivate more of them from storage. Lufthansa has already sold 6 of its 14 A380s meaning that they can operate up to 8 at a time. Six are currently activated and more routes could be announced soon. Beijing (PEK), Shanghai (PVG), and San Francisco (SFO) saw frequent A380 service prior to COVID and hopefully will see the A380 once more if demand stays strong.

The A380 does represent a major capacity increase over both the A340 and A350, so many more seats will need to be filled for the aircraft to make economic sense for those routes.

As a whole, Lufthansa's reactivation of the A380s marks an exciting development in the growth of the aviation industry after the pandemic. While international travel still has not fully recovered, the changes Lufthansa is making continue to mark positive progress in long-haul travel.