Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt International) has sold six A380-800s at a discount on the initial sale price after the aircraft sustained storm damage which was not covered by insurance, according to the aeroTELEGRAPH portal.

The transaction dates back to March 2019, when Airbus agreed to acquire the six planes as part of a deal involving Lufthansa buying twenty A350s, with the six A380-800s then due to start exiting the Lufthansa fleet in 2022. At the time, the A380s' acquisition price was not disclosed. However, the Lufthansa Group's 2022 Annual Report, released two months ago, disclosed an agreed sale price of EUR315 million euros (USD340.9 million).

"Six aircraft are to be returned to Airbus by November 2023," the report notes. However, because of storm damage to five of the A380-800s, the sale price has been reduced by EUR13 million (USD14.08 million) to EUR302 million (USD327.01), or 4.13%. Lufthansa refers to the this as an "unscheduled change in value." The type of damage was not specified, but it was disclosed that insurance did not cover it.

Lufthansa operated fourteen A380-800s over the fleet's lifetime. During the pandemic, the airline decided to retire the type but a post-pandemic travel rebound and delivery delays of new aircraft have seen Lufthansa decide to re-activate six of them until at least 2027. With another six going back to Airbus, the fate of two remains uncertain.

According to ch-aviation fleets data, Lufthansa has so far brought three A380-800s out of storage. The airline intends to have four in the air by the end of this year, and six flying by the end of 2024. Lufthansa has stored the majority of its A380-800s at Teruel, with two kept at Lourdes/Tarbes.