When we count up each of Europe’s leading flag carriers’ active and inactive aircraft, and discount those wet leased, 
Lufthansa has the largest fleet. It is closely followed by Air France, followed by 
British Airways. The same pattern is in place if we look only at narrowbody aircraft. Strangely, these numbers are reversed if we look only at widebody jets, with British Airways having the largest widebody fleet, followed by Air France and finally Lufthansa.
Read this article to learn more about the respective British Airways, Air France and Lufthansa fleets. This includes the numbers of each variant of active and inactive widebody and narrowbody aircraft, alongside their average age. All fleet data shown in this article is from ch-aviation.
British Airways Fleet
The British Airways fleet has the smallest of Europe’s three famed flag carriers. The fleet has 83 narrowbody active and 7 narrowbody inactive aircraft. That yields a total of 90 smaller aircraft. Britain’s flag carrier also has 115 active and 16 inactive widebody aircraft, meaning it has 131 total widebody aircraft. Combined, the carrier has a fleet total of 221 core aircraft.
The table below shows the full British Airways fleet, divided into widebody and narrowbody aircraft, including information on the active and inactive aircraft, and their average age:
|
Aircraft variant |
Active |
Inactive |
Average age (years) |
|
Narrowbody aircraft |
|||
|
A319-100 |
22 |
2 |
23.2 |
|
A320-200 |
42 |
4 |
18.8 |
|
A321-200NX |
19 |
1 |
3.7 |
|
Widebody Aircraft |
|||
|
A350-1000 |
16 |
2 |
4.3 |
|
A380-800 |
11 |
1 |
11.6 |
|
777-200ER |
41 |
2 |
25.7 |
|
777-300ER |
14 |
2 |
11.2 |
|
787-8 |
9 |
3 |
10.4 |
|
787-9 |
15 |
3 |
9.4 |
|
787-10 |
9 |
3 |
3.4 |
British Airways has a strong mix of modern and legacy aircraft across both widebody and narrowbody jets. The three narrowbody aircraft include 19 A321neos, averaging less than four years old. Cirium data obtained by Simple Flying reveals that some of the routes flown from London Heathrow with these aircraft are impressively long, with some traveling into the Middle East. The longest is to Jordan’s Queen Alia International Airport, a flight of 2,292 miles.
However, the carrier only flies this route two times a month for a total of 440 seats. A similarly impressive British Airways A321neo flight is to Ben Gurion International Airport, the busiest airport in Israel. This route has an average flight length of 2,232 miles, and is flown far more often, generating 30.44 million available seat miles.
Air France Fleet
The Air France fleet is the second largest of Europe’s three most iconic flag carriers. A total of 88 active and 20 inactive aircraft, yielding 108 total, are in Air France’s narrowbody fleet. Air France also has 110 active and 10 inactive widebody aircraft, meaning it has 120 widebody aircraft. Therefore, its core fleet has 228 aircraft. The table below shows the full Air France fleet, divided into widebody and narrowbody aircraft, including information on the active and inactive aircraft, and their average age:
|
Aircraft variant |
Active |
Inactive |
Average age (years) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Narrowbody aircraft |
|||
|
A220-300 |
37 |
12 |
2.3 |
|
A318-100 |
4 |
19.2 |
|
|
A319-100 |
4 |
1 |
23.9 |
|
A320-200 |
32 |
4 |
16.1 |
|
A321-100 |
3 |
1 |
30.8 |
|
A321-200 |
8 |
2 |
18.9 |
|
Widebody aircraft |
|||
|
A330-200 |
7 |
1 |
22.6 |
|
A350-900 |
36 |
3 |
3 |
|
777-200ER |
17 |
1 |
25.4 |
|
777-200F |
2 |
17 |
|
|
777-300ER |
38 |
5 |
17.2 |
|
787-9 |
10 |
7.5 |
Like British Airways, Air France has a combination of ultra-modern and legacy aircraft. The newest jet in their fleet is the Airbus A220-300, a narrowbody with a unique 3-2 configuration. These jets are also noteworthy as Airbus delivered them using a blend of 50% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Airbus has designed the A220 to operate with 50% SAF blends, and newer models will be flying on 100% SAF by 2030. Airbus claimed that using the blend for the ferry flight reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 25 tonnes. Blaise Brigaud, SVP Group Sustainability at Air France-KLM said, “Fleet renewal and the use of sustainable aviation fuel are the two main levers of the decarbonization of aviation. Combining the two is only logical, and Air France-KLM is proud to participate in this Airbus milestone with the delivery flight of one of our A220s.”
Lufthansa Fleet
The largest fleet of the three airlines belongs to Lufthansa. A total of 135 active and 18 inactive aircraft are in its narrowbody fleet, making a total of 153 aircraft. It also has a total of 67 active and 21 inactive widebody aircraft, yielding a total of 88 larger jets. Lufthansa has a core fleet of 241 aircraft. The table below shows the full Lufthansa fleet, divided into widebody and narrowbody aircraft, including information on the active and inactive aircraft, and their average age:
|
Aircraft variant |
Active |
Inactive |
Average age (years) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Narrowbody aircraft |
|||
|
A319-100 |
21 |
2 |
23.2 |
|
A320-200 |
41 |
5 |
12.9 |
|
A320-200 |
24 |
6 |
7.1 |
|
A321-100 |
16 |
1 |
30.1 |
|
A321-200 |
33 |
4 |
16.9 |
|
Widebody Aircraft |
|||
|
A330-300 |
6 |
1 |
15.5 |
|
A340-300 |
13 |
3 |
26 |
|
A340-600 |
6 |
8 |
19.6 |
|
A350-900 |
30 |
1 |
5.5 |
|
A380-800 |
7 |
1 |
13.6 |
|
747-400 |
5 |
3 |
25.6 |
|
747-8 |
18 |
1 |
12.1 |
|
787-9 |
6 |
3 |
2.9 |
Lufthansa’s young aircraft include the widebody Boeing 787-9 and Airbus A350-900. The carrier’s youngest narrowbody jets are 7.1 years old. Recent months have seen Lufthansa accelerating the rollout of 787-9s across its routes, notably replacing the A340 on many flights to the USA from its hub in Frankfurt. Commenting on how the arrival of the 787 into the fleet would modernize its operations, Lufthansa Airlines CEO Jens Ritter said, “With the arrival of the Boeing 787-9 today, the modernization of our long-haul fleet at our largest hub is now also receiving a major boost. This will enable us to use significantly quieter and fuel-efficient aircraft types featuring the latest technology for our guests in Frankfurt as well.“
The modernization of Lufthansa’s fleet in recent years has also included the rollout of the new Allegris seats that will upgrade Lufthansa’s business and first-class products. They will include technology like seat heating and cooling. Every guest has their own understanding of premium, which is why we focus on maximum individuality and exclusivity. Lufthansa CEO Jens Ritter said of the Allegris first-class product: “The First Class Suite Plus conveys the feeling of privacy and individuality similar to a hotel room – only at an altitude of eleven kilometers.”
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Why Is Lufthansa Still Flying The 747?
Despite its large fleet undergoing significant modernization in recent years, Lufthansa has interestingly kept two variants of aging 747s active, as well as some of its A380s. The Boeing 747-400 has been a mainstay of Lufthansa’s long-haul flying throughout the 1990s and 2000s, connecting Germany with a host of destinations in North America and Asia. The arrival of the 747-8 reflected a need for a jet larger than mid-sized aircraft like the A350, but smaller than the super jumbo A380. Yet, with the 747-400s now averaging over 20 years old, surely it is time for a modernization.
Even if Lufthansa didn’t want to keep its 747s, it would struggle to replace them, so retiring too early would cause capacity issues. That is because of ongoing delays to the 777X’s rollout amid ongoing development issues, and slow deliveries of the A350 and 787.
The 747-8 certainly still has a valued place in Lufthansa’s fleet. It is perfect for premium markets in Europe, North America, and Asia, where business class flying remains popular. The larger aircraft also helps Lufthansa to operate profitably from slot-restricted busy airports, maximizing its revenue from the smaller number of flights that can takeoff.
Boeing 777X: The Next Aircraft To Modernize The Lufthansa Fleet
A notable inclusion to the 777X’s order-sheet is the much beleaguered Boeing 777X. The carrier put in 20 firm orders for the 777-9 in September 2013, with a further 14 options. It then added 7 commitments for the 777-8F in May 2022. The order made in 2013 gave Lufthansa the position of launch customer for the 777X program.
The update to Lufthansa’s widebody fleet won’t arrive for at least another year. Bloomberg recently reported that the expected 777X delivery date has been pushed back to 2027. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg summarized the issues in an investor conference recorded by Leeham News and Analysis: “The challenge is we’ve got to get through the certification here on the Dash 9 to start delivering these things to our customers.”
Despite certification issues, the fact that some 777Xs have already been built will accelerate the timeline for Lufthansa. These jets are ready to be delivered to the 777X program’s launch customer as soon as they are ready. The Seattle Times reports that Boeing has produced four test 777Xs and there are 22 customer-version 777Xs parked and waiting for delivery. Further aircraft will come into the Lufthansa fleet, alongside the other 777X customers, once certification has been received. That is because Boeing is targeting an acceleration of production to four 777Xs a month.
