Auf Wiedersehen 747: Lufthansa ready to sell two Jumbos to US Air Force

There are 2 Jumbo, Donald J. Trump e Lufthansa... It might sound like the beginning of a joke, and yet (it seems) there is one narrow bond among all three. In recent hours, some rumors that are producing no small amount of noise: Lufthansa would be ready to sell two of its Boeing 747-8 no less than at the US Air Force, the U.S. Air Force.

The indiscretion was published in X by JonNYC - very well-known insider in the aviation scene, ed - and has attracted the attention of aviation enthusiasts and insiders, not least because the German carrier is one of the very few in the world still using the 747-8 in passenger version.

Auf Wiedersehen, Jumbo Jet: Lufthansa reportedly ready to sell two 747-8s

As we have recounted in other articles, currently Lufthansa operates a fleet of 19 Boeing 747-8 And it is, together with Air China and Korean Air, one of only three airlines that use these aircraft to operate scheduled flights. Until now there had been no concrete signs of a willingness to reduce the fleet, quite the contrary: Compounded by delays in deliveries of the new 777X and 787, the company was forced to prolong life of the Jumbos and, for this, initiated a program of retrofit Of the interior. 

According to rumors, the aircraft involved would be the D-ABYD (christened "Mecklenburg-Vorpommern," a northern region bordering the Baltic Sea) and the D-ABYG ("Baden-Württemberg," a state located in southwest Germany). The first, an approximately 13-year-old aircraft, is expected to leave the fleet in the January 2026, while the second - delivered in March 2013 - would be destined for retirement in the third quarter of 2026. Should these timelines be confirmed, Lufthansa's 747-8 fleet would drop to 'only' 17 units within a year.

Lufthansa's official position

When asked about the issue by the specialized website Simple Flying, Lufthansa released a statement that to call prudent is reductive. A spokesman explained that as part of the fleet modernization strategy, two Boeing 747-400s and two Boeing 747-8s will be withdrawn from scheduled service over the next year; there was no comment, however, about the identity of any buyers.

New Air Force One deliveries slip to 2028 (and Trump may never use them)

The possible disposal of the two 747-9s becomes even more interesting when linked to the U.S. context. The U.S. Air Force has ordered two new Boeing 747-8s destined to become the future Air Force Ones, but deliveries have been significantly delayed. Initially scheduled for 2024, entry into the U.S. Air Force fleet of the two Boeing VC-25B has been postponed to at least the mid-2028; timing, this, which would make it highly unlikely that the current president would use these planes during his term. Trump, moreover, has repeatedly criticized the current Air Force Ones - which, let us remember, are extensively modified Boeing 747-200s - believing them to be no longer adequate.

The future of 747-8s: retrofit yes, but "neutered"

Lufthansa, meanwhile, is pushing ahead with its program to reconfigure its Boeing 747-8s with new cabins Allegris. The retrofit is expected to begin by the end of this year: initially, as is well known, the new business class seats will be installed in the main deck; the upper deck, however, will retain the current business class for a few more years, which according to plans should be Renewed along with the new first class between 2027 and 2028. This will result, at least temporarily, in two different business class experiences on the same plane.

In conclusion

In the absence of official confirmation, the affair remains open and bound to be followed with great attention. If indeed two iconic Lufthansa Boeing 747-8s do end up 'in the hands' of the U.S. Air Force, it would be an operation out of the ordinary and a curious chapter in the (very long) history of the "Queen of the Skies." For now, however, everything remains in the realm of the rumors, with the eyes of enthusiasts on these two jumbo jets. All that remains is to wait To find out what their future will be.

• 747
• allegris