Lufthansa Operates Last 737 Flight, Retires Fleet

By Jesse Sokolow on 31 October 2016
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DSC_0261Lufthansa announced that it officially retired its fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft on Monday. The last flight of the carrier’s plane, a 737-300, traveled from Frankfurt to Hamburg, where a special ceremony commemorating the aircraft’s 48-year presence in the airline’s fleet took place.

The airline’s remaining six 737-300s will be transferred to Florida and sold in the next couple of weeks.

Lufthansa became the first airline to purchase the Boeing 737 (now referred to as the 737 Classic) on February 19, 1965, with an order for 22 737-100s. Since then, the carrier has had a total of 148 Boeing 737s in its fleet. The 737-300 model was introduced in 1984, and Boeing ceased production of the aircraft in 1999.

The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body plane, and Boeing currently offers four models capable of carrying between 85 and 215 passengers. The 737 is Boeing’s best-selling commercial jet with over 9,210 delivered, and 4,350 orders awaiting fulfillment.

With the retirement of its 737s, Lufthansa will operate an all-Airbus A320 family fleet on its continental routes.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)

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