Lufthansa Superjumbos back in Thai skies from Sunday as travel demand soars

Lufthansa has announced it will resume direct flights to Thailand with the world's largest passenger plane on Sunday.

The decision to deploy the Airbus A380 on the Bangkok-Munich route from October 29 came in response to tremendous demand, particularly during the winter high season, said the German flag carrier’s regional manager Anlee Do.

Nicknamed Superjumbo, the A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jetliner with a capacity of 509 passengers. The standard cabin layout features eight seats in first class, 78 in business, 52 in premium economy, and 371 in economy.

Lufthansa is the only airline operating the A380 nonstop between Thailand and Europe, said Do.

She added that travel demand for Thailand is consistent and strong thanks to its location as a gateway to Southeast Asia.

Lufthansa will however review the Bangkok-Munich route after the winter season to gauge demand.

The move to restore the A380 service comes as airlines around the world compete to resume services to meet a growing hunger for travel in the post-pandemic era.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation expects demand for air travel to rise 4.3% annually over the next 20 years.

Lufthansa group says it will invest 2.5 billion euros (95.7 billion baht) over the next 10 years, mainly in 200 new aircraft, to meet demand. The new planes will emit up to 30% less carbon than previous models, allowing the company to meet its net zero goal by 2050, it added.

Sabrina Winter, senior director, Regional Sales Southeast Asia and Pacific, pointed out that  the new fleets are required because they emit up to 30% less carbon than previous models, allowing the company to meet its net zero goal.

She said the group is also the world's fifth-largest investor in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

SAF is a biofuel used to power aircraft with properties similar to conventional jet fuel but with a lower carbon footprint.

Despite high inflation and rising geopolitical tensions, as well as ongoing conflicts in Russia and Saudi Arabia that have caused oil prices to rise, Elise Becker, group vice president airline sales - Asia Pacific, believes that demand for travel remains strong.

"We are monitoring economic and the world situation and understand it on a daily basis in order to plan ahead," Becker said. 

She then pointed out that the immediate challenge for Lufthansa is to strengthen its supply chain so that the company can receive the ordered aircraft in time to enhance its services. Besides, the group must recruit trained crews and pilots in order to increase the number of flights to meet global demand while maintaining high service standards. 

Lufthansa is Europe's largest airline group with over 200 destinations worldwide. Last year, the airline served over 100 million passengers, earning 32.8 billion euros, placing it as the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of revenue.