Lufthansa‘s Leadership in Boeing 747 Operations
In recent years, widebody quadjets like the Boeing 747 have become less common as airlines increasingly prefer more efficient twinjets for long-haul routes. This trend accelerated with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Lufthansa, Germany’s flag carrier and a founding member of Star Alliance, remains a major user of the Boeing 747 family for commercial passenger operations.
Historical Overview of the Boeing 747
| Attributes | Details |
|---|---|
| Launch Customer(s) | Pan American World Airways |
| First Delivery | January 22, 1970 |
| Last Delivery | January 31, 2023 |
| Number Delivered | 1,573 |
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
| Aircraft Type | Widebody |
Lufthansa’s Extensive 747 Fleet
According to fleet data from ch-aviation, Lufthansa has 27 aircraft from the Boeing 747 family in its fleet. This includes eight Boeing 747-400s averaging 25.5 years of age, which is older than the fleet-wide mean of 13.7 years. These aircraft are configured with 67 business, 32 premium economy, and 272 economy seats.
The more modern Boeing 747-8 models, of which Lufthansa operates 19, have a younger average age of 11.9 years. These include four classes: eight in first class, 80 in business, 32 in premium economy, and 244 in economy. Lufthansa is currently updating these jets with the new ‘Allegris’ interiors.
Since February, nine A350-900s with the new cabin interior have already been flying for Lufthansa, eight of them with the new First Class. Almost half a million passengers in all classes have now enjoyed the new cabin. This year, the retrofitting of the existing fleet with Lufthansa Allegris will commence, beginning with the Boeing 747-8.
Operational Routes for Boeing 747-8
Data from aviation analytics company Cirium reports that Lufthansa plans 754 flights with the Boeing 747-8 in September 2025, matching last year’s schedule. These flights provide a combined total of 274,456 seats and 1,450,461,376 available seat miles (ASMs). However, this is a 3.9% decrease in ASMs compared to September 2024, indicating shorter routes.
Lufthansa’s 747-8s primarily service routes from Frankfurt Airport to destinations such as Buenos Aires, Chicago, Houston, Johannesburg, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Newark, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Tokyo Haneda, and Washington DC. The route to New York JFK operates 17 times in September, not on a daily basis.
Boeing 747-400 Flight Services
The Boeing 747-400 has demonstrated an uptick in activity compared to September 2024, with 266 flights scheduled, offering 98,686 seats and 481,704,916 ASMs. These figures represent a 4.7% increase year-on-year in flights and seats, and a 10% increase in ASMs. Once again, Frankfurt Airport is the hub. The New York JFK route operates 13 flights in September, complementing the 747-8 to ensure daily service. The 747-400 also flies daily to Bengaluru, Singapore, Toronto, and Vancouver.
