On December 20, 2001, Lufthansa signed a firm contract with Airbus for the purchase of 15 A380 Superjumbos. The airline plans to operate the A380s on high density routes from its hubs in Germany to cities such as New York, New Delhi, Singapore and Bangkok. Deliveries to the airline are scheduled to begin in 2009.

The Airbus A380 is the world's first full twin-deck, twin-aisle airliner. Typical seating, in a three-class configuration, will accommodate 555 passengers, with a non-stop range of 8,000 nautical miles. The aircraft was launched in December 2000 and entered production in January 2002. The first flight of an A380 took place from Blagnac Airport, Toulouse, in April 2005.