CEO Interview: Lufthansa's A380 Gamble Pays Off

‍DALLAS — Lufthansa (LH) CEO Carsten Spohr recently visited Johannesburg (JNB) for the Lufthansa Group’s Market Conference, an internal event for Lufthansa Group airlines.

Speaking to Spohr on the sidelines of the conference, the European airline group’s chief said the decision to keep the double-decker plane in its fleet had been the right one. Spohr said it was a significant decision with a profound impact that could not be taken lightly.

“I very much remember the day we took that decision. We took a bet, and we bet the right way.” Lufthansa’s CEO, Carsten Spohr, said. 

Lufthansa’s Airbus A380s

Before the pandemic, Lufthansa had fourteen Airbus A380s in its fleet, which served many routes in its extensive network. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, forcing many countries to close their borders and implement flight bans, passenger demand for travel diminished. 

This forced airlines across the globe to ground aircraft and review their fleet requirements. This also led to some tough decisions having to be made. Airline leadership had to consider the future of many widebody aircraft in their fleets.

Lufthansa was forced to make a difficult decision regarding the future of its sub-fleet of Airbus A380s. The airline had to choose between retaining or retiring these large planes. Since passenger demand had shrunk significantly, operating the A380 was no longer deemed sustainable in extremely low passenger volumes. 

Some airlines scrapped their A380s because their leadership teams did not foresee the recovery of travel demand so they could redeploy them for commercial services. Other airlines decided to store their Airbus A380s in long-term storage.

“It was a very difficult decision after Covid when we had to estimate the revamp of the industry,” Spohr said.

The A380: To Keep or Not to Keep?

Lufthansa chose to keep over half of its A380 fleet, sending them for long-term storage in France and Spain. Six of the airline’s A380s were returned to aircraft producer Airbus, leaving Lufthansa with eight. However, the airline said it would only bring back these aircraft in the event of a rapid market recovery. 

Now, with passenger demand having bounced back to pre-pandemic levels in many parts of the world, amid ongoing widebody aircraft delivery delays, Lufthansa’s CEO said that the decision to keep its A380s had been a wise move considering that new aircraft deliveries are taking much longer than expected.

“Sitting here in February 2025, I’m very happy we brought them back,” Spohr said.

He also stated that a shortage of widebody aircraft forced LH to delay some of its route expansion plans. Lufthansa has returned to service the eight A380s that it owns after the Covid-19 pandemic.  

The carrier brought back four A380s in 2023 and four more in 2024. These aircraft are currently operating long-haul routes with high passenger demand. During the summer months in the Northern Hemisphere, LH deploys its A380s to several destinations in the United States of America. These trans-Atlantic routes have large passenger loads. 

During the winter season in the Northern Hemisphere, LH uses its A380s to service destinations in Asia, again operating routes with high passenger demand. These include India and Thailand. The aircraft also operates year-round services to Los Angeles (LAX).

Lufthansa’s Gamble Pays Off

The decision to spare the Airbus A380 and not retire or decommission it has thus proven beneficial for LH. The A380 now operates routes with large passenger volumes, even if only on a seasonal basis. Spohr said that Lufthansa was still short of many widebody aircraft, making it challenging to meet passenger demand on several routes. 

“As you know, we are short of widebodies. We are short of 41 Boeing aircraft alone, and if we didn’t have the eight (out of 14)  A380s, we would face huge problems in serving our premium markets.” Spohr said.

While the Airbus A380 is often considered less sustainable, Spohr pointed out that the quad-engine jet is entirely sustainable if used on suitable routes when operated with full loads. 

“This aircraft needs to be fully booked to be profitable, but they are full right now. Again, this is because of widebody aircraft shortages around the world.” Spohr said. 

The first Airbus A380 entered operations in October 2007 (with Singapore Airlines). The aircraft was a game-changer in many ways. It enabled airlines to carry many passengers while offering a superior passenger experience on long-haul routes. Since its launch, many airlines worldwide have operated the A380 as part of their fleets.

The Airbus A380 is the world’s largest passenger jet. Lufthansa’s Airbus A380s feature over 500 seats (in total) in first, business, premium economy, and economy class. Flying on the A380 is a pleasure for most passengers since the aircraft generally offers a smooth and quiet journey. Moreover, the 3-4-3 layout in economy class gives passengers more space than most other aircraft. Thus, for many passengers, the A380 offers exceptional levels of comfort.

Incidentally, the A380 is one of the Lufthansa CEO’s favorite aircraft to fly on as a passenger. Spohr, also a commercial pilot, says that flying on the upper deck of the A380 is one of his most enjoyable experiences.

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