Lufthansa's Second 747-8I Heads to US Air Force for Presidential Support

The second Boeing 747-8I sold to the US Air Force has departed Lufthansa's fleet after over 13 years of commercial service. On September 26, the aircraft, D-ABYG with serial number 37831, left Frankfurt and is headed for Pinal Airpark in Arizona under flight number LH9866.

The US Air Force purchased two Lufthansa 747-8Is for around $400 million to support its presidential airlift program. The first aircraft, D-ABYD with serial number 37829, was flown to the US in January and will be used for training flight crews and maintenance personnel who work with the Air Force's 747-8 fleet.

The second aircraft, D-ABYG, will join the spare-parts pool that supports the presidential aircraft. The purchase is primarily aimed at supporting the two future VC-25Bs being developed from the 747-8 by Boeing. The US Air Force also operates a temporary aircraft received from Qatar, known as the VC-25B Bridge.

Boeing ended 747-8 production in 2023, and only a limited number of Intercontinental aircraft were built. Lufthansa was one of the few airlines to operate the passenger version, becoming the world's largest 747-8I operator.