Lufthansa flies empty A340 at low altitude across Atlantic

Lufthansa Flies Airbus A340 Across The Atlantic At Just 10,000 Feet And Unpressurized

The German flag carrier Lufthansa flew an Airbus A340-600 across the Atlantic Ocean unpressurized and at an altitude of just 10,000 feet on Tuesday in order to get the plane back to its own maintenance facility for urgent repairs. The 16-year-old aircraft was badly damaged after landing in Boston on July 5 after a high-loader, which loads and unloads cargo from the belly of the plane, collided with the side of the massive widebody aircraft. Fli…

Lufthansa flies empty A340 at low altitude across Atlantic

On July 8, 2025, a Lufthansa Airbus A340-600 aircraft completed a Transatlantic flight between Boston-Logan (BOS) and Frankfurt (FRA) at only 10,000 feet, just one third of the usual 30,000. The low altitude was due to the lack of pressurization in the cabin.  The aircraft in question, registered D-AIHZ, was damaged by a high loader, a type of ground support equipment that is used to haul cargo onto the aircraft, while on the ground at Boston-Lo…