European Airline Owned FFS Training Center to Welcome New Widebody FFS in 2026

Germany – Lufthansa Aviation Training (LAT) Group has announced the retirement of its historic Airbus A340-600 full-flight simulator at Frankfurt, marking the end of an era for one of the world’s longest-serving widebody training devices. Installed in September 2002 as the world’s first A340-600 full-flight simulator, the device has been instrumental in advancing pilot training technology and supporting thousands of flight crew over the past two decades.

• Since its commissioning, the simulator has accumulated nearly 200,000 operating hours, training airline crews from across the globe and serving as a key development platform for Lufthansa and Airbus.
• The A340-600 simulator was used not only for commercial flight training but also as a technical testbed for innovations in flight control systems, avionics, motion, and weather simulation models.
• LAT engineers, in cooperation with partners and manufacturers, implemented multiple first-in-industry upgrades, including:
• Rehosted flight control computers enabling faster, more reliable system simulations
• Integration of advanced avionics and guidance models for improved performance fidelity
• Introduction of Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) systems for Lufthansa’s transition to paperless cockpit operations
• Enhanced reset and fault-simulation features that improved training efficiency and device reliability
• The simulator will be dismantled within the next three weeks and transferred to a new owner. A340-600 training will continue uninterrupted on LAT’s second A340-600 simulator at Frankfurt.
• The retirement clears space for LAT’s new Boeing 777-9 full-flight simulator, which is scheduled to enter service in May 2026, supporting Lufthansa’s upcoming 777-9 fleet entry.

Statements

• “Since September 2002, the world’s first A340-600 full flight simulator in Frankfurt has been an important milestone that set new standards – even Airbus itself entrusted us with its training at the FRA site in the early years,” said Jens Jaehrling, Senior Director Training Devices and Infrastructure at Lufthansa Aviation Training Group.

About Lufthansa Aviation Training Group Lufthansa Aviation Training Group (LAT), headquartered in Munich, Germany, is one of Europe’s leading pilot and cabin crew training providers. Operating 12 training sites globally, LAT offers simulator training, type ratings, recurrent programs, and ab-initio flight training through its European Flight Academy. The company supports Lufthansa Group airlines and numerous international clients.

Source: Lufthansa Aviation Training Group