Lufthansa to end A340-600 passenger service with final Washington flight

Lufthansa is set to operate its last Airbus A340-600 passenger flight on October 18, ending almost 23 years of service with the type. Flight LH419 is scheduled to leave Washington Dulles at 5.55 pm local time and reach Frankfurt at 7.55 am the following morning. The airline said the schedule remains subject to operational changes.

Four A340-600s remain with the carrier: D-AIHW, D-AIHX, D-AIHY and D-AIHZ. They are roughly 17 to 18 years old and have been flying mainly from Frankfurt to New York JFK and Washington Dulles. Which aircraft will operate the final flight was not confirmed at the time of writing.

Lufthansa decided to retire the remaining aircraft at the end of the 2026 summer flight schedule. The group confirmed in April 2026 that the last four would leave the fleet in October, as part of wider capacity and fleet measures.

The quartet is all that is left of a fleet that once numbered 24 A340-600s. Lufthansa brought the type in during 2003 and took deliveries until 2009. The aircraft are powered by four Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engines and carry 281 passengers in a four-class layout: eight first, 56 business, 28 premium economy and 189 economy seats.

Retirement had been put off more than once as delays to replacement aircraft stretched the type's service life. Boeing 787-9s and Airbus A350-900s have since arrived to support the withdrawal of the older widebodies.