Airbus Updates No.2698

MADRID, SPAIN, International Airlines Group (IAG) subsidiary Iberia is planning to retire all 14 Airbus A340-600 aircraft in its fleet earlier than initially scheduled.

The ongoing global pandemic has caused many aircraft to the aircraft boneyards for early retirement due to the low travel demand. The quad jet Airbus A340 is one of the most affected planes since the beginning of travel restrictions.

The Spanish carrier is currently the largest operator of the -600 variant with 14 units, followed by Lufthansa with 10. Lufthansa also has immediate plans to remove its A340-600s, which will leave just four commercial operators with the aircraft in active service: Mahan Air with seven, South African Airways with four, Plus Ultra Líneas Aeréas with two, and Azerbaijan Airlines also with two.

Airlines were already sending their four-engined planes to the boneyards due to the high operating costs and replace them with newer generation aircraft. The trend has gained momentum due to the ongoing global health crisis.

Iberia also seeks to delay some of its current aircraft orders with Airbus, including A350 and A320neo jets.