Lufthansas Final A346 Flight Marks the End of an Aviation Love Story

The Airbus A340-600 is not the world’s fastest, newest or sleekest airplane.Its cabin is dated compared with its modern, high-tech counterparts.

It guzzles far more fuel than its rivals and relies on four engines to fly routes that other planes do with two.Still, the A346, as it is known, has developed a devout fan base that is drawn to its abnormally long fuselage, restrooms that can be configured to be down a set of stairs adjacent to the cargo hold and the power of its four engines.“The A346 has been one of my favorite aircraft since about the age of 7,” said Connor Joossens, 31, an aviation maintenance student, who lives in Orlando, Fla.But the plane’s days are coming to an end.On Oct.

18, Lufthansa, one of only three passenger carriers that still use it, will fly the plane for the last time, from Washington’s Dulles International Airport to Frankfurt Main Airport.(Of the other two carriers, one is in Iran and the other is in Venezuela, making it unlikely most people will fly on their planes.)Personal tributes have flooded social media while aviation photographers have traveled thousands of miles to shoot the plane one last time.

And some fans have spent thousands of dollars — and shaped entire intercontinental trips — to get on a farewell flight.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe....