Following an announcement in June that the popular double-decker would be returned from storage, Lufthansa (LH) reactivated its first Airbus A380 last Friday (2nd of December 2022).

Data from flight tracking shows that D-AIMK used the callsign “Lufthansa Nine Nine Two One” during its Friday flight from Teruel (TEV) to Frankfurt (FRA). The Spanish airfield, where the aircraft has been kept since the pandemic outbreak, is liked a place for long-term aircraft storage due to its generally dry climate.

Due to a lack of infrastructure at TEV that would allow the enormous aircraft to be jacked up for landing gear functionality testing, the aircraft was flown with its gear down. As a result, the maximum altitude reached was only 30,000 feet, and the flight time was slightly more than three hours.

All A380 aircraft being put into service after arriving in Germany will undergo a strict set of engineering checks to prepare for their summer debut the following year.

Why did Lufthansa decide to reactivate the A380?

In response to the sharp increase in customer demand and the postponed delivery of ordered aircraft, Lufthansa is reactivating the Airbus A380. The long-haul aircraft, which is well-liked by passengers and crews, will likely be used again starting in the summer of 2023. The airline is presently determining the number of A380s that will be reactivated and the locations to which the Airbus will travel.

It is worth mentioning that 14 Airbus A380s are still in Lufthansa’s fleet; they are currently being “deep stored” for an extended time in Spain and France. Eight A380s remain in the Lufthansa fleet; six of these planes have already been sold.

In a joint letter to the customers, the Executive Board Members of Deutsche Lufthansa AG also made the A380’s reactivation announcement:

“In the summer of 2023, we not only expect to have a much more reliable air transport system worldwide. We will be welcoming you back on board our Airbus A380s, too. We decided today to put the A380, which continues to enjoy great popularity, back into service at Lufthansa in summer 2023. In addition to this, we are further strengthening and modernizing our fleets with some 50 new Airbus A350, Boeing 787 and Boeing 777-9 long-haul aircraft and more than 60 new Airbus A320/321s in the next three years alone.”

the Executive Board Members of Deutsche Lufthansa AG

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