2005 - 2017 Venerable Boeing 767 Family

The bread and butter of Himmelbahn's widebody fleet for well over two decades was the steadfastly reliable Boeing 767. The original Boeing 767-200 was ordered way back in 1981 with the first arriving in 1983. The 762 became a mainstay of Himmelbahn's high density shorter haul flights and it didn't take long for the 767-200ER to join the carrier to serve thinner long haul routes to Asia and Africa. ETOPS 120 certification brought with it the possibility of operating the 767-300ER in long haul routes to all of Himmelbahn's sectors. Himmelbahn's existing 767 fleet proved to the government that the family could be a reliable workhorse and so it was natural for the airline to become the launch European operator of the 767-300ER. Throughout the 90s, the 767 would be staple of the fleet appearing on flights to destinations that did not warrant operations carried out by one of the carrier's larger widebodies - particularly those out of the dual Frankfurt Hamburg and later Frankfurt Berlin hubs. By the late 90s, Himmelbahn joined a number of American carriers in asking Boeing to produce a further stretch of the 763. The Boeing 767-400ER entered service with Himmelbahn at the turn of the Millennium in 2000 and, while like the original 767-200 it operated in relatively small numbers, the order meant that Himmelbahn would operate the 767 in all of its form factors.

The original 767-200s lasted in the fleet until 2007 and so for a brief period of time, all of Himmelbahn's 767s operated in Candybird colours. Early deliveries of the A350-900 accelerated changes to the fleet that would make the 767-200ERs redundant by 2013. The -300ERs were slowly phased out of operation and -400ERs soldiered on with plans for retirement in 2025. The start of the COVID-19 pandemic sidelined the type and many thought that the last of the 767s would see an ignominious end sitting unused on a Hamburg taxiway. However, the pandemic may yet extend the life of the remaining 767s. Projections suggest that following the pandemic, the flexibility offered by smaller more middle of the market planes will increase in importance. If these projections are correct, then Himmelbahn's current pivot to replace the bulk of its long haul fleet with larger A350s and consolidate the Frankfurt and Berlin hubs at Brandenburg may not be wise. Given the untimely demise of the A350-800 project, it's not clear if Himmelbahn has a plan to procure an aircraft that might offer the flexibility of the 767-400ER and 767-300ER. As of early 2022, the remaining 767s remain grounded despite other temporarily grounded airframes in the fleet returning to service. Further, Himmelbahn has no orders on the books for an aircraft to fill the gap between the A350-900 and A321. Pundits have postulated that Himmelbahn might consider turning to the A330neo or 787 or even the A321 XLR to fill the middle of the market gap in its fleet. It seems likely, although it has still not been confirmed, that until a new, smaller jet enters the Himmelbahn fleet, the 767s have a little more life left operating for Germany's flag carrier.