Mile-high milestone: Lufthansa gives Denver first regular service on Airbus A380 superjumbo jet
The world's largest passenger plane, the superjumbo Airbus A380, will begin its first-ever regularly scheduled flights to Denver International Airport (DEN) in just over three months.
Beginning April 30, Lufthansa will fly the A380 daily to Denver from its Munich Airport (MUC) hub. The double-decker plane that seats 509 passengers, including eight in first class and 78 in business class, will replace a newer but much-smaller Airbus A350-900 on the route.
Denver is the airline's sixth A380 destination from Munich after reintroducing the plane in 2023 following a pandemic suspension. Lufthansa currently flies the superjumbo to Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Washington, D.C.'s Dulles International Airport (IAD).
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For Denver, Lufthansa's decision to put the A380 into regular service is a milestone. The only other time Denver saw an A380 was in 2018 when an Air France flight diverted to the airport.
Lufthansa's A380 decision is also a testament to DEN's growth in recent years. The airport handled 82.4 million passengers in 2024, a 19% jump from 2019 and enough to make it the third busiest in the U.S. after Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth. And international service to Denver has grown even faster; seats were up 47% last year compared to 2019, schedule data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows.
Much of that growth is thanks to massive expansion there by hub carrier — and Lufthansa partner — United Airlines. The carrier has added dozens of new routes and flights thanks to a major expansion of the airport's concourses; the Mile High City is now United's second largest hub after Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD).
Lufthansa is certainly betting that flight connections beyond Denver on United will fill its new superjumbo flight. Cirium schedules show at least 30 flight connections on United departing within 3 hours after Lufthansa's Munich to Denver flight arrives to destinations like Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ), Durango-La Plata County Airport (DRO) and Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) that the European airline does not serve.
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The German airline claims onward connections to at least 170 destinations via Denver.
Lufthansa's flights park on Concourse A in Denver, and travelers then traverse a bridge to the airport's main terminal, where they clear customs and immigration. Departing fliers with lounge access will be able to use one of the new United Clubs that opened in 2023 and, eventually, a new Polaris Lounge located near gate A18 for travelers booked in business and first class.
"Passengers, airport visitors and crews love the A380, the flying experience and the feeling of space," said Heiko Reitz, chief customer officer of Lufthansa Airlines, in a statement. "At the same time, the A380 offers more premium seats than any other aircraft."
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