The Luftwaffe Airbus A340 that had to return back to Abu Dhabi due to faulty flaps is back in the air, and at this moment, heading back to Europe.
At the time of writing (1237 UK time), the aircraft was observed transiting through Jordanian airspace. It is expected that this aircraft will continue on to Germany.
From Abu Dhabi to the Scrap Heap?: Luftwaffe To Phase Out A340s…
There were initial plans to phase out 16+01 & 16+02 between next month and the end of 2024, but the flap issues in Abu Dhabi, which caused Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock to cancel her trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji has prompted moves from the Luftwaffe to bring the retirements through earlier.
The German Air Force wrote the following on Twitter, as per AeroTime Hub:
“We will take the two #A340 out of service as soon as possible, i.e., in the coming weeks. The two Airbus A340s were originally scheduled to be retired in September 2023 (16+02) and at the end of 2024 (16+01, located in Abu Dhabi)”.
“With the #A350, robust and modern aircraft for long-haul flights are available to those ready to fly.”
The incident happened on August 15 when 16+01 of the Luftwaffe suffered issues with its flaps, causing the aircraft to burn fuel around the Abu Dhabi area for several hours.
16+01 did land safely thereafter, which has then no doubt caused anger amongst the Foreign Ministry to the point that retirement will happen a lot earlier.
These jets will be replaced by the Airbus A350 military transport jets that they have received in recent years.
At this stage, it is unclear who will receive 16+01 & 16+02 after its withdrawal from service.
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