Lufthansa seems to be facing a shortage of capacity due to pent-up travel demand
brought on by an easing of pandemic travel restrictions. Not wanting to pass up the
opportunity to transport more passengers, the airline's CEO is apparently considering a few
short-term options, including reactivating the Airbus A380 or introducing the Boeing 777-300ER
through an offer from Boeing. Let’s explore the possibilities in today’s video…
In March and April of 2020, Lufthansa put its fleet of 14 Airbus A380s into storage,
uncertain if they would return to service. A number of reports over the past two years
indicated that the German carrier was unlikely to re-activate any of the superjumbos:
They were just too expensive to operate - especially with so many
in the industry estimating a full recovery to pre-pandemic levels by only 2023 or 2024.
Even as recently as April of this year, the carrier's CEO was insisting that the
superjumbos would not be returning. However, the faster-than-anticipated recovery of
long-haul travel has Lufthansa scrambling to secure capacity to meet the demand…
According to Aero.de, Lufthansa CEO Casten Spohr noted in May
that he was open to bringing some A380s back into service if demand warrants.
A quote-unquote 'insider' reporting for the German aviation media site adds that Lufthansa
is mulling the reactivation of four to eight A380s from its current stored fleet of 14.
The other six, however, are scheduled to be returned to Airbus in October 2022. Anticipating
an imminent return, the source notes that the jets would be used for North American traffic.
While Lufthansa has its stored A380s available for use, Boeing is also giving the airline
another option. Again, information obtained from Aero.de indicates that the US planemaker has
offered Lufthansa four to six 777-300ERs. These jets are quote-unquote "whitetails" - jets that
were dropped by customers after their order was placed but also after assembly was initiated.
We would imagine that this offer, if true, would be a form of compensation for the
company's multi-year delay in bringing the 777-9 to service. According to Aerotime Hub,
Lufthansa had originally expected to begin taking delivery of the jets in 2021.
Now, in an effort to adjust expectations amid certification delays, Boeing is pushing the
aircraft's certification date back to late 2024 with its entry into service moved to early 2025.
If these dates hold true, then they would represent a minimum four year delay for Lufthansa.
While the carrier might have been fine with a delay into 2022, the surge in travel
demand likely has the airline wishing that at least some of its 777-9s were ready to fly.
It's funny how, even on the 'used' aircraft market, it also comes down to choosing between
Airbus and Boeing. On one hand, the A380s are readily available,
offer an incredible amount of capacity, and are already configured to Lufthansa specifications.
On the other hand, the 777-300ERs (also available on short notice)
have lower operating costs and are easier to fill while able to access more airports than the A380s.
Lufthansa will eventually be flying the Boeing 777 anyway,
so perhaps the twinjets will allow it to integrate the type into its operations and systems for an
even easier entry-into-service for the 777-9 (when it eventually arrives).
But what option would you go for? Share your opinion by leaving a comment!