Lufthansa to sell two 747-8s and retire more 747-400s

Lufthansa — by a wide margin the largest passenger 747 operator left — is thinning its fleet.

The airline plans to sell two 747-8s, the first going to an undisclosed buyer in January 2026, and to withdraw two more 747-400s from scheduled service.

The timetable

The 747-400s are on the way out: Lufthansa’s fleet plan has them gone by 2027, alongside the A340-300, with the A340-600, A330-200 and 767-300 leaving by 2026.

The 747-8 is a different matter. Lufthansa has been clear that it expects the type to remain a core part of long-haul operations well into the 2030s.

That distinction matters. The -400s are 1990s aircraft nearing the end of their economic lives. The -8s were delivered from 2012 onward, and Lufthansa took 19 of the 48 ever built.

What is left worldwide

A useful census from the third quarter of 2025: around 85 Boeing 747s still configured for passengers, and close to 300 active in cargo, charter and government service.

The ratio is the whole story of the aircraft’s last decade. For every passenger 747 flying there are roughly three-and-a-half working freighters, charters and state aircraft — which is exactly why the production line stayed open on freighter orders for a decade after passenger sales stopped.

Related

• Airlines that flew the 747 — who still does
• The 747-8 Intercontinental
• Where the 747s went