It’s a triumphant return! German carrier Lufthansa celebrated the return of its much-loved Airbus A380 to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on July 4. The aircraft’s return marks an increase to capacity this summer season. It also represents an expansion of the brand’s premium offering from its Munich (MUC) hub with additional seats in business and first class. Lufthansa also introduced its A380 to Boston (BOS) on June 1 and will do so on Los Angeles (LAX) routes this winter season.

Lufthansa decided to reactivate its A380 in 2022 after a sharp rise in travel demand and the delayed delivery of ordered aircraft. By the end of this year, four A380s will be again deployed for service to and from Munich.

The new A380 flight, LH410, departed Munich at 12:10 p.m. and arrived in New York at 3 p.m. The return flight, LH411, left JFK at 5:30 p.m., arriving in Munich at 7:35 a.m. This route operates daily.

Boasting 509 seats, the A380 has around 80 percent more capacity than the Airbus A340-600 previously in service. The A380 offers eight first-class seats, 78 business-class seats, 52 premium-economy seats and 371 seats in economy class. Both first and business class are located on the airplane’s upper deck.