German Air Force A340s immediately retired

The Luftwaffe (GAF, German Air Force) has decided to phase out their Airbus A340s immediately.

On 13 August 2023, the Airbus A340, serial 16+01, which was used to transport the Foreign Secretary Annalena Baerbock to Australia, experienced problems with the flaps shortly after departing Abu Dhabi and had to dump fuel for a safe return to Abu Dhabi. The next day the aircraft experienced the same issues after fifteen minutes of flight and had to return again. The foreign secretary had to cancel the trip.

A340 16+01 was originally planned to be withdrawn from use by the end of 2024 and to store it as a spare aircraft for another seventeen months. In April 2023 the aircraft finished her maintenance overhaul with Lufthansa Technik at Hamburg. The second A340, serial 16+02, was scheduled to be withdrawn from use by the end of September this year.

With this bad experience the air force decided to take the aircraft out of service immediately. For long range transport the unit, Flugbereitschaft des Bundesministeriums der Verteidigung (FBS BMVg), will mainly use the Airbus A350.

Photo by Marcus Steidele (Scramble Archive)