This autumn marks the closing chapters of two long-serving aircraft fleets within the Lufthansa Group. Lufthansa is preparing for its final Airbus A340-600 passenger flights, while Austrian Airlines continues to withdraw its Boeing 767-300ERs, whose Austrian history dates back to the days of Lauda Air. Their farewells will not take place simultaneously: Lufthansa’s will conclude in October, while Austrian’s is currently expected to continue until early December.

Lufthansa’s final scheduled A340-600 passenger service is expected to be flight LH419 from Washington Dulles to Frankfurt. An airline spokesperson confirmed to airliners.de that departure is scheduled for 18 October at 17:55, with arrival in Frankfurt the following morning at 07:55, all times local. This will bring to an end 23 years of service with Lufthansa, which took delivery of 24 aircraft of the type between 2003 and 2009. Four aircraft remained in service during the final phase, operating between Frankfurt and New York and Washington.

With a fuselage approximately 75 metres long, the A340-600 became one of the most recognisable aircraft in Lufthansa’s fleet. Its length and four engines gave it distinctive proportions among widebody aircraft, and its introduction represented an important step in modernising the airline’s long-haul offering. Today, the withdrawal of these large four-engined aircraft illustrates how significantly fleet planning priorities have changed.

Its retirement was postponed several times, partly because of delays in Boeing 787-9 deliveries. Aircraft approaching the end of their careers therefore remained necessary throughout the 2026 summer season. The accelerating arrival of new 787-9s and Airbus A350-900s now allows their final withdrawal, while the Lufthansa Group has specifically highlighted the need to reduce fuel consumption and operating costs.

Meanwhile, Vienna is closing a chapter that stretches even further back. The Boeing 767’s history in Austrian aviation began in 1988, when Lauda Air took delivery of its first example. Through the subsequent integration of that airline, the aircraft became part of Austrian’s fleet, continuing to connect Vienna with long-haul destinations for decades. Their withdrawal therefore also marks the disappearance from everyday passenger operations of one of the remaining tangible links to Lauda Air’s history.

One of the last three aircraft, OE-LAZ, has already completed its passenger service. According to Austrian Wings, its final rotation took it to Montreal, returning to Vienna on 27 September. Its ferry flight to the United States is scheduled for October, after which it will serve as a source of spare parts. Austrian has sold all three remaining Boeing 767s, registered OE-LAE, OE-LAY and OE-LAZ, to US-based Cobra Aviation for dismantling and parts recovery.

The remaining two aircraft will continue flying through the autumn. Austrian confirmed to ch-aviation that the final scheduled Boeing 767 service is currently expected to land in Vienna on 1 December 2026. The aircraft seat 211 passengers across business, premium economy and economy class and have been serving North American routes during the final stage of their careers. October therefore marks another step in their withdrawal, rather than the definitive farewell to the type.

Their successor is already established: the Boeing 787-9. Austrian introduced its first two Dreamliners in 2024, with the third entering scheduled service on 1 June this year. Under the published plan, its entire long-haul fleet is expected to comprise 12 Boeing 787-9s by the end of the 2028/2029 winter schedule. These will gradually replace both the Boeing 767s and the larger 777-200ERs, consolidating Austrian’s long-haul operations around a single aircraft type.

Both retirements serve the same business objective: renewing the fleet and reducing the number of aircraft types in service. For Austrian, the departure of the 767 closes almost four decades of the model’s history in Austria; for Lufthansa, withdrawing the A340-600 represents another major step in reducing its four-engined fleet. Passengers will find newer aircraft taking their place, while the airports of Vienna and Frankfurt will lose two familiar silhouettes that have been part of their daily traffic for years.