Return of the Jumbos!

As global air travel comes roaring back from its pandemic-induced slump, airlines are racing to provide enough capacity, particularly for premium tickets on the long-haul flights enjoying a stronger-than-expected rebound.

The surge has created a surprise bottleneck for some carriers, which are finding that many of their new-generation aircraft outfitted with enough business and first-class berths are either late for delivery or still awaiting regulatory approval. So carriers have been forced to revive a venerable plane model that looked consigned to the scrap heap even before the Covid-19 outbreak: the four-engine dinosaur.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG plans to bring back five more of its Airbus SE A340 jets—some almost two decades old—to offer first-class seating ahead of the peak summer season. Thai Airways International Pcl, which in 2021 said it planned to phase out all its A380 double-deckers along with its Boeing Co. 747 jumbos, is mulling a return of the A380 in 2024. Qantas Airways, Etihad Airways, Korean Air Lines and Singapore Airlines, which grounded their A380s during the virus outbreak, have also brought them back.