Lufthansa retires A340-600 fleet after 23 years

Lufthansa retired its Airbus A340-600 fleet this week after 23 years of operation with the type. The last aircraft flew from Washington Dulles to Frankfurt, departing Sunday and arriving on Monday.

The airline said 267 passengers and 15 crew were on board, and that many of those travelling had bought tickets specifically to be on the final flight. Francesco Sciortino, who manages Lufthansa's Frankfurt hub and captained the flight, said the aircraft had carried more than 40 million passengers safely over its years with the carrier.

Lufthansa received its first A340-600 in 2003. At roughly 247 feet in length, it was the longest passenger aircraft in the world when it entered service with the airline, which first flew it to Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile. In total, 24 of the type passed through the fleet.

The A350-1000, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the 777-9 will take over the role previously filled by the A340-600. Lufthansa still flies the shorter A340-300, which is due to leave the fleet in 2027.