Historical

Washington to Frankfurt

IAD → FRA

This was Lufthansa’s last-ever Airbus A340-600 passenger flight, marking the end of the type’s service with the airline. Crossing the North Atlantic from Washington Dulles to Frankfurt, it was one last hurrah for the flying pencil. The A340-600 was Airbus’s answer to the demand for high-capacity, long-haul flying, competing with aircraft such as the Boeing 777-300ER. It never came close to matching the 777’s popularity, but remained a stalwart of several airlines, including Lufthansa and, previously, Virgin Atlantic. Like other four-engined airliners, its days were numbered as airlines shifted towards more fuel-efficient twinjets. The COVID pandemic initially brought the A340-600’s future at Lufthansa into question, but the aircraft returned to service as the airline faced delays to the delivery of its replacements. Those delays kept the flying pencil in the skies for a little longer. The type hasn’t disappeared entirely, though. If you want to fly on one now, you’ll have to look further afield: Mahan Air in Iran and Conviasa in Venezuela remain among the few airlines operating the A340-600 in scheduled passenger service.

Route

Washington (IAD) → Frankfurt (FRA)

Flights

DLH419

Airline

Lufthansa

Aircraft

Airbus A340-642

Date

18 October 2026

Distance

6,685 km

Flight time

7h 23m