FAA Set to Fine Lufthansa Millions for Operating ‘Illegal’ Flights

A bizarre story has emerged that is either an indictment of German national airline Lufthansa or the Federal Aviation Administration – or both.

According to a press release, Lufthansa is facing a $6.428 million fine from the FAA for operating almost 900 flights into and out of San Diego International Airport and Philadelphia International Airport.

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The FAA says the carrier did so without its authorization. Foreign flights must be listed in the FAA Operations Specifications, or OpSpecs for short, and that Lufthansa was not listed to be able to fly into neither San Diego nor Philadelphia.

Questions remain, however, as the respected blog One Mile At A Time pointed out – did Lufthansa knowingly bypass the rules, and how did the FAA let almost 900 flights come and go before noticing?

According to the FAA, between March 22, 2018, and May 27, 2019, Lufthansa operated approximately 600 flights with A340-300s between Frankfurt and San Diego. Between October 28, 2018, and April 10, 2019, Lufthansa operated approximately 292 flights with A330-300 and 747-400 aircraft between Frankfurt and Philadelphia

Lufthansa has 30 days to respond to the FAA.