The German Air Force/Luftwaffe (GAF, Cologne/Bonn) has put its last A340-300 up for sale via an online auction, with bids due by February 15, 2024.
16+01 (msn 274) is parked at Cologne/Bonn airport, having been retired from government service in August 2023 after an embarrassing technical fault stranded Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock forcing her to cancel her visit to Australia, Fiji, and New Zealand. It has since been operating sporadic test flights over Germany, most recently on December 21, 2023, according to AirNav Radarbox ADS-B data.
The 1999 vintage aircraft has accumulated 54,572 flight hours and 8,367 flight cycles. It has four CFM International CFM56-5C engines.
The Luftwaffe will ferry the jet to its next operator. While the aircraft has already been partially demilitarised, several items will only be removed after the ferry flight. The A340 is currently outfitted with a hybrid cabin featuring 24 full-flat business class seats in the executive section and 70 economy class seats in the aft.
The Luftwaffe planned to retire the two ex-Lufthansa A340-300s it operated in early 2024 but accelerated their exit after the August 2023 snafu. Sistership 16+02 (msn 355) was sold last year to an undisclosed customer in the United States and has since been re-registered as N577TA and remains parked at Roswell airport.
The two A340s were replaced with three brand-new A350-900s.
