Lufthansa will be retiring four Boeing 747s from its fleet in the coming period. Two of these are the 747-8s with registration D-ABYD and D-ABYG, which are being phased out relatively early.

The D-ABYD, delivered in August 2012, will depart next month, while the D-ABYG, which joined the fleet in March 2013, will follow in October 2026.

CEO Jens Ritter cannot yet specify the specific destination of the aircraft, but reports that they will be going to the United States. There is speculation that they will end up with the US Air Force, similar to what Korean Air did last year with five 747-8s.

Ritter emphasizes that the 747-8 is different from older 747s, which often end up being scrapped. According to him, there is high demand for this type and its residual value is high.

"We have a unique opportunity to achieve a very high resale price and simultaneously accelerate the transition to modern, twin-engine aircraft," he explains.

In the short term, the gaps left in flight schedules by the 747-8s will be filled with A340 flights. In the longer term, Lufthansa is looking at replacing them with aircraft such as 777-9s and A350-1000s. The airline is in discussions with Airbus and Boeing about this. Lufthansa has already added 787s to its fleet, with more to follow.

In addition to the 747-8s, two 747-400s will also be retired from the fleet. These jumbo jets are expected to be completely phased out by 2027.

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* Origin: AVIATION ECHO HQ (2:292/854)