Lufthansa Keeps Jfk’s Last A340 Dream Alive As Other Carriers Exit – Reserve Your Spot On This Iconic Flight Now!

Monday, July 14, 2025

The ever-stunning Airbus A340 utilized to beryllium a communal show soaring nan skies supra New York but now soon not overmuch of them would beryllium seen wrong JFK. At its height, nan quad-engine airplane was linking J.F.K. to world cities pinch arsenic galore arsenic 138 flights a week. Now, only 1 hose remains—Lufthansa. The A340 is still being flown connected nan way betwixt NYC (JFK) and Frankfurt by nan German emblem carrier, keeping nan craft 1 measurement supra nan sedate astatine 1 of nan astir world airports successful nan world. Why did JFK’s A340 illness and what’s adjacent for nan once-great widebody?

The Last A340 Standing: Lufthansa’s Trusty Workhorse

Lufthansa is nan only hose successful cognition bringing america nan Airbus A340 present astatine New York JFK since nan departure of Air Senegal’s past A340 formation from JFK to Dakar successful September of 2024. The hose presently operates regular work betwixt Frankfurt and JFK pinch nan A340-300. There will beryllium immoderate variance successful frequencies passim nan play until nan mediate of 2026 – taxable to craft readiness and transportation delays for caller models.

Lufthansa’s usage of nan A340 is for nan astir portion strategic. There person been continued delays successful taking new, much substance businesslike aircraft, truthful nan hose whitethorn proceed to clasp connected to its older widebodies longer than expected. Its inefficiency notwithstanding, nan A340 is still utilized to support capacity connected high-demand routes, for illustration JFK–Frankfurt.

A Field Now Crowded: JFK’s Former A340 operators

Prior to nan pandemic vibrating world aviation astatine New York-JFK, nan A340 had been overmuch successful force. Six routes were served by some nan A340-300 and nan longer-range A340-600 [in early 2020]. Carriers were Iberia, LOT Polish Airlines (operated by subsidiary Air Belgium), South African Airways, Virgin Atlantic and, naturally, Lufthansa. They jointly planned 26 A340 play flights.

But nan pandemic sped up airplane retirements. It was Lufthansa’s A340 that first made a return to JFK, backmost successful June 2021. The craft temporarily returned to Air Senegal successful April 2022 earlier nan fleet was replaced pinch nan A330 and subsequently retired from nan marketplace successful September 2024. Even SWISS reactivated its A340-300s for a short while, operating a specified 8 flights to JFK successful nan outpouring of 2022.

Fast-forward to 2025, and only Lufthansa is left, bedraggled and fugitive, a ghostly part of nan A340’s past occurrence astatine JFK.

A Glimpse into nan Golden Years

It’s intolerable to fathom now, but successful nan summertime of 2007, JFK really classed seventh successful nan world for A340 formation operations. In July that year, 16 carriers flew nan A340 connected 138 play departures. Five of those progressive one-stop routes, connecting done cities for illustration London, Madrid and Dakar earlier completing nan travel onward to Sydney and Dubai.

Thai Airways operated nonstop work to Bangkok. South African Airways flew via Dakar. Air Tahiti Nui flew via Papeete to Sydney. It was nan aureate property of nan long-haul quadjets — and JFK was a hub.

But it was nan financial situation of 2008 that marked nan opening of nan end. With airlines seeking to pare costs and upgrade, galore began to discontinue nan A340 successful favour of twin-engine jets providing akin scope pinch superior efficiency.

Economics wins: Why A340 does not alert pinch airlines

There was a charm to nan A340, but it simply couldn’t support gait pinch nan economics of modern aviation. With greater substance efficiency, amended operating economics and much scope than 4 engines, twin-engine craft for illustration nan Boeing 777, 787 Dreamliner, Airbus A350, arsenic good arsenic nan A330neo, are disposable — astatine half nan costs of 4 engines.

Changing regulations besides sealed nan A340’s fate. Changes to ETOPS (Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards) granted twinjets entree to routes that antecedently only four-engined craft could operate. This made nan A340 surplus to requirements for nan mostly of airlines.

With much than 340 units successful work successful 2007, until 2025, little than 125 A340s are successful work worldwide. Many are grounded, and immoderate alert only successful nations that are taxable to world sanctions, truthful thing for illustration a return to JFK is progressively unlikely.

Is it Possible nan A340 Could Return to JFK?

The likelihood are slim. The A340 has been retired aliases parked by astir airlines. New orders are for efficient, next-gen models for illustration nan A350 aliases 787. Barring immoderate large geopolitics aliases large operational changes, I uncertainty we’ll spot immoderate much A340s backmost astatine JFK.

That said, location stay 9 different US airports pinch A340 operations, specified arsenic LAX, Chicago O’Hare, Washington Dulles. Flights are operated by Lufthansa Group airlines, namely Lufthansa, Edelweiss Air aliases Discover Airlines. But J.F.K. is nan past bastion successful nan Northeast for nan A340 — an echo of a astir forgotten time.

A Dwindling Legacy, Yet Not Forgotten

The Airbus A340 was a predominant beingness astatine nan airdrome New York-JFK, pinch decades serving passengers connecting spans of nan globe. Its autumn reflects nan broader inclination successful aviation toward sustainability and efficiency. Though nan A340 is nary longer operated by nan mostly of carriers, 1 hose retired of JFK tin still beryllium spotted pinch an A340 – its orangish and bluish livery is arsenic unmistakable arsenic nan bequest it leaves for aviation aficionados and nan routes it utilized to dominate.

So while Lufthansa keeps nan A340 dream live — for now — those passing done JFK mightiness want to return a infinitesimal to bask successful nan very different show of this majestic four-engine jet. For soon, moreover this past section could slice to a whisper.