Lufthansa's significant anniversary: A look back at its history

Aviation Cheers to the Crane: 100 Years of Lufthansa

2026-03-16 Source: Press release | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

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In 2026, Lufthansa celebrates a significant anniversary: on January 6, 1926, the first "Luft Hansa" was founded, and its maiden flight took place on April 6 of the same year.

Here, Lufthansa's first anniversary aircraft lands in Frankfurt.(Image: Lufthansa) — Here, Lufthansa's first anniversary aircraft lands in Frankfurt.
(Image: Lufthansa)

The story begins with the merger of Junkers Luftverkehr and Deutscher Aero Lloyd. The fusion laid the foundation for a success story in international aviation that continues to this day. However, the journey was not always easy. The history of Lufthansa is marked by challenges, interruptions, and new beginnings, demonstrating the company's resilience and tireless spirit of innovation.

The darkest chapter in Lufthansa's history was the time of National Socialism. The airline became part of the regime and played an active role within it. With the reestablishment of the "second Lufthansa" in 1953, the legal foundation for today's Lufthansa was created. It once again required great pioneering spirit to embark on a fresh start after the war. In 1955, flight operations resumed, and the journey of the newly founded Deutsche Lufthansa AG began.

The privatisation of the company in 1997 marked an important turning point. That same year, Lufthansa founded the Star Alliance—the first global aviation alliance. Strategic acquisitions followed: Swiss (2005), Austrian (2009), and Brussels Airlines (2009). The German state-owned company transformed into a pan-European aviation group. With its current efforts to acquire the Italian state airline Ita, the company is consistently moving toward the future.

Today, 40,000 people from 122 nations work for the crane, and 100,000 people from more than 160 nations work for the Group.

Europe’s security landscape is changing rapidly

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Flying Ambassadors: The Lufthansa Anniversary Fleet

For the anniversary, special aircraft liveries are being used this year: the main sub-fleets of the Lufthansa core brand will each feature an aircraft with the new 100-year special livery. The blue fuselage is adorned with a white crane, whose wings blend into the aircraft's wings. Next to the crane, a "100" is integrated on the left side of the fuselage, while the inscription "1926 / 2026" is displayed on the right side. A "100" will also be visible on the underside of the aircraft.

The anniversary fleet consists of a total of six aircraft: an Airbus A380, an Airbus A350-1000, an Airbus A350-900, an Airbus A320, and a Boeing 747-8. Leading the anniversary fleet is the Boeing 787-9, named "Berlin," which was transferred from the Boeing factory in the U.S. state of Washington to Germany shortly before Christmas 2025 and landed at its new home airport in Frankfurt. In the meantime, the state-of-the-art aircraft with the registration D-ABPU has entered regular service.

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