Lufthansa plans summer 2027 without Boeing 777-9, keeps A340-300 flying

Lufthansa is planning its summer 2027 timetable without any Boeing 777-9 aircraft, even though Boeing still expects to hand over the first example in the first quarter of that year. Group chief executive Carsten Spohr said in Frankfurt on Monday, 28 September, that he is not relying on that schedule.

"There are big question marks over how many there will really be and how many we can actually deploy in summer," Spohr said of the 777-9, according to his remarks at an event for journalists. Anyone looking at the summer 2027 flight plan, he added, will not find a Boeing 777-9 in it.

Lufthansa has decided instead to keep a larger number of older Airbus A340-300s in operation than originally intended. Spohr described the shift bluntly: the contingency plan of keeping more A340-300s active has become the primary plan.

The decision carries costs for the airline. Spohr noted that the A340-300s in question were supposed to have been retired, and that older aircraft mean more maintenance work.

Fuel prices add to the pressure. With oil above 100 dollars, Spohr said, the additional fuel bill is likely to come in higher than the 1.5 billion euros he had previously mentioned.