Leading airline celebrates its 100th birthday

 

Aviation pioneer Lufthansa celebrates its 100th birthday this week. 

The first “Luft Hansa” was founded on January 6, 1926 and had its maiden flight four months later. 

The now global powerhouse was created through a merger of Junkers Luftverkehr and Deutsche Aero Lloyd, the foundation for a success story in international aviation that continues to this day. 

The darkest chapter in Lufthansa’s history was during the Nazi era, when the airline became part of the Nazi regime and played an active role within it. 

Lufthansa is using its 100th anniversary as an opportunity to critically examine its involvement during this time and further address it based on historical research. 

With the re-establishment of the “second Lufthansa” in 1953, the legal foundation of today’s airline group was created. 

In 1955, flight operations resumed, and the journey of the newly founded Deutsche Lufthansa AG began.

"The 100th anniversary of Lufthansa is a moment of pride and reflection," the airline said in a statement. "At the same time, it represents a bold look into the future and the beginning of the company’s second century."

Throughout the anniversary year, Lufthansa will organize a variety of activities and events to honour the history and future of the aviation group.

These include a permanent exhibition at the Lufthansa Group Hangar One at Frankfurt Airport, dedicated 100-year airline liveries, special events, a history book, film and video productions, employee celebrations, customer events, as well as marketing and product campaigns.

The special “100 Years of Lufthansa” emblem will appear on boarding passes, at airports, and onboard Lufthansa flights in many places. 

Outside of airports – including in city centres – a poster campaign will tell Lufthansa’s story.

Besides operating flights under its own brand Lufthansa Airlines, the Lufthansa Group also owns several other airlines, including Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Discover Airlines, Eurowings, ITA Airways and Swiss International Air Lines. 

It is the fourth-largest airline in the world by revenue. 

See https://www.lufthansa.com/