Copyright Simple Flying
The final flight this year by Lufthansa’s Airbus A380 to Denver touched down on October 24, 2025. The six-month service run was so popular that the airline has not hesitated to plan for a 2026 encore just days after the end of the season. Lufthansa announced that the Airbus A380 will return to Denver International Airport (DIA) on flights between Denver and Munich Airport (MUC) next summer. This summer’s service was actually extended beyond the original schedule thanks to popularity as well. The Munich Connection Next year will be the 25th anniversary of the Denver to Frankfurt Airport (FRA) route, alongside the tenth anniversary of the nonstop service operated between Denver and Munich by Lufthansa. Service is planned to begin again on June 9, 2026, in time for the next summer season. Lufthansa reported that it completed almost 350 flights between Munich and Denver this summer. This year’s schedule ran from April 30 to October 24, 2025. The traffic volume that the A380 brought increased the airport’s total by 6% on its own, according to 9 News. Dirk Janzen, Lufthansa Group Vice President for Passenger Sales for The Americas, told 9 News: “The excitement was felt on both sides of the Atlantic [for the A380 service]. Bringing a larger aircraft with greater capacity to this market… just made sense for the summer season.” Lufthansa’s Flying Giant One of the first to adopt the Airbus A380, the airline still has eight active airframes of the fourteen total that is has operated since the “Super Jumbo Jet” first debuted, as Planespotters.net reports. The enormous jets were parked during the COVID-19 Pandemic’s impact on air travel and only this year, the last of the eight reactivated jets reentered service. Lufthansa says that the A380 burns 12% less fuel than other widebodies (considering seat count over comparables distances) like the A330, Boeing 777, and 747. The A380 is also 30% quieter than many large intercontinental commercial airliners. The A380’s upper deck is one of the quietest cabins in the entire global fleet of commercial jets. Lufthansa’s A380 has the first air humidification system of its kind ever installed on a jetliner to make the oversize cabin even more comfortable. First class is limited to eight generously sized seats and features two large lavatories with separate changing and bathroom spaces. Business class is also on the upper deck, with extra work surfaces and power supplies. Premium economy is also on the upper deck, and economy class is split between both levels. Last Of The Colossus Lufthansa flies both the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 747 on transatlantic routes to international destinations, but these huge airliners are in their sunset days now. The 747 is imminently expected to retire, as the 27 remaining examples are getting long in the tooth. The airline’s 747-400s are over 25 years old, the newer 747-8s are 12 years old, while the A380s average a little under 14 years old. The Coronavirus Pandemic saw many of these graceful giants stored due to low travel demand and later scrapped or mothballed indefinitely. The period of exceptionally low air travel was likewise detrimental to the manufacturing and supply chain base. The production line for the A380 shuttered in 2021 and the 747 was spooled down in 2023. The Airbus A350-1000 is the successor for the A380, although it will not enter service for some years still. Similarly, Lufthansa is the launch customer for the 777X, which replace its legacy 747 widebody fleet. The airline was one of the first to fly 747s across the Atlantic Ocean and is currently the longest running operator of the series, but that era is coming to a close. If you have the opportunity to grab a seat on the A380 and pay a visit to Munich, Frankfurt, or Denver, then you will want to take the chance while you still have it. Maybe even pop by New York City on one of the last 747s still flying if it fits your schedule on the return leg.
