Lufthansa retires its oldest Airbus A320 after 32 years of service
Lufthansa has retired the oldest Airbus A320-200 in its fleet, registered D-AIQS, after 32 years of service and 67,000 flight hours. The aircraft, delivered in 1993, operated for Lufthansa and other group subsidiaries before being retired in El Teruel Airport (TEV). This marks the end of an era for one of the most significant narrow-body aircraft in Lufthansa's history
Lufthansa retired the oldest Airbus A320-200 in its fleet, which completed over 67,000 flight hours during 32 years of service, as originally reported by AeroTELEGRAPH. The aircraft remained with the German company throughout its life, occasionally operating for other subsidiaries of the Lufthansa Group.
The Airbus A320-211, registered D-AIQS, was delivered to Lufthansa on January 11, 1993, and its last regular flight occurred on January 13, operating service LH135 between Stuttgart (STR) and Frankfurt (FRA). The following day, it was ferried to El Teruel Airport (TEV) in Spain, where it will be retired and stored indefinitely.
Throughout its history, the aircraft served the Lufthansa Group exclusively, always bearing its registration D-AIQS. It spent its first decade flying for the parent airline before being transferred to Germanwings in December 2003. In October 2013, it was assigned to TFC Käufer, a German pilot training center, where it supported the instruction of future Eurowings pilots. Finally, in July 2018, it returned to Lufthansa’s fleet.
With MSN 401, the aircraft completed 58,000 flights, accumulating a total of 67,000 flight hours. While significant, this A320-200 is not the oldest in the world; that title belongs to the Airbus A320 with MSN 174, operated by Air Canada, with 34 years of service.
The Living Airbus Museum
Lufthansa has a rich history of operating a diverse fleet, including aircraft from nearly every major manufacturer in the world. The airline continues to operate several aging aircraft, including the oldest Airbus A321-100 in the world, registered D-AIRH, which has been in service for 31 years.
Its fleet also includes the second-oldest Airbus A319-100 (MSN 609), which is 28 years old, and the third-oldest Airbus A340-300, also with 28 years of service.
Lufthansa is one of the few airlines to have operated every model manufactured by Airbus, from the A300 and A310 to the narrow-body A319, A320, and A321, and the wide-body A330, A340, A350, and A380.
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