History of Lufthansa in Timeline
Lufthansa Group is a German aviation group, with its primary airline Lufthansa being the flag carrier of Germany. It is a leading European airline by passenger volume and revenue and ranks among the world's largest by revenue. Founded in 1953 and commencing operations in 1955, Lufthansa is also a founding member of the Star Alliance, the world's largest airline alliance established in 1997.
2 hours ago : Lufthansa Group to Gradually Restart Israel Flights After Cancellation Extensions
Lufthansa Group plans to gradually resume flights to Israel, specifically Tel Aviv, starting June 23, following extensions of flight cancellations by major airlines due to safety concerns.
1918: Creation of Lufthansa Logo
In 1918, Otto Firle created the Lufthansa logo, an encircled stylized crane in flight.
February 1919: Start of Air Service by Deutsche Luft-Reederei
On 5 February 1919, Deutsche Luft-Reederei (DLR) began air service, using the encircled stylized crane logo created in 1918.
1925: Publication of "Luft-Hansa" Book
In 1925, F.A. Fischer von Puturzyn published a book entitled "Luft-Hansa," which examined options for aviation policymakers. Luft Hansa was later the name given to the new airline formed by the merger of Junkers' airline (Luftverkehr AG) and Deutscher Aero Lloyd.
1926: Deutsche Luft Hansa Adopts Logo
In 1926, Deutsche Luft Hansa adopted the encircled stylized crane logo.
1936: Junkers Ju 52/3m built
In 1936, a Junkers Ju 52/3m was built and later restored to airworthiness by Lufthansa Technik. This aircraft was used on the Berlin to Rome route in the 1930s.
1954: Lufthansa Adopts Logo
In 1954, Lufthansa adopted the encircled stylized crane logo.
April 1955: Commencement of Operations
In April 1955, Lufthansa began operating scheduled domestic flights, linking Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Cologne, and Munich.
April 1955: Approval to Commence Operation of Scheduled Domestic Flights
On April 1, 1955, Lufthansa obtained approval to start operating scheduled domestic flights. The initial network connected Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Cologne, and Munich.
1955: East Germany's Attempt to Establish a Lufthansa Airline
In 1955, East Germany attempted to establish its own "Lufthansa" airline, but the effort was abandoned due to legal challenges from the West German carrier.
1956: Start of Lufthansa accident list
Since 1956, it is a list of accidents and incidents involving Lufthansa mainline aircraft.
September 1960: Lufthansa Boeing 707 christened Berlin
In September 1960, a Lufthansa Boeing 707 (D-ABOC), intended for the Frankfurt-New York route, was christened "Berlin" by then-mayor Willy Brandt. This began a tradition of naming Lufthansa planes after German cities and towns.
1963: Lufthansa Adopts Redesigned Logo Variant
In 1963, Lufthansa adopted a variant of the encircled stylized crane logo as redesigned by Robert Lisovskyi.
1966: Lufthansa Shares Publicly Traded
Deutsche Lufthansa AG shares have been publicly traded on all German stock exchanges since 1966.
1967: Otl Aicher Creates Corporate Design
In 1967, German designer Otl Aicher created a comprehensive corporate design for Lufthansa. The crane logo was displayed in a yellow circle on a blue tailfin, and Helvetica was used as the main typeface.
1971: New Headquarters Building in Cologne
In 1971, The New York Times described Lufthansa's then-new headquarters building in Cologne as "gleaming."
1986: Bombing of Lufthansa Headquarters
In 1986, left-wing terrorists bombed the Lufthansa headquarters building in Cologne. No one was injured.
1988: Updated Livery Design
In 1988, Lufthansa's design retained Aicher's concept. The window band was removed, and the fuselage was painted in grey.
1994: Lufthansa Ends State-Owned Status
Lufthansa was a state-owned enterprise until 1994.
May 1997: Formation of Star Alliance
On May 18, 1997, Lufthansa, along with Air Canada, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International, and United Airlines, established Star Alliance, the world's first multilateral airline alliance.
September 11, 2001: Operation Yellow Ribbon
Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the communities of Gander and Halifax provided safe havens for the passengers and crew of numerous international aircraft during Operation Yellow Ribbon.
2006: Construction of New Lufthansa Headquarters
In 2006, builders laid the first stone of the new Lufthansa headquarters in Deutz, Cologne.
December 2007: Lufthansa Invests in JetBlue Airways
In December 2007, Lufthansa bought a 19% stake in JetBlue Airways and entered a code-sharing agreement with the airline, marking the first major investment by a European carrier in an American carrier since the EU–U.S. Open Skies Agreement.
2007: Planned Move to New Headquarters
By the end of 2007, Lufthansa planned to move 800 employees, including the company's finance department, to the new headquarters building in Deutz, Cologne.
2007: Lufthansa Systems relies on Actian solutions
In 2007, Lufthansa Systems, the IT services provider branch of the Lufthansa Group, began using Actian's Ingres database and OpenROAD platform to power its Lido/FlightPlanning solution, which is used by around 300 commercial airlines worldwide for flight planning.
2007: Lufthansa Cargo Relocates Hub
In late 2007, Lufthansa Cargo was forced to relocate a hub from Kazakhstan to Russia.
August 2008: Merger Negotiations with Brussels Airlines
On 28 August 2008, Lufthansa and Brussels Airlines announced that they were negotiating a merger.
October 2008: Lufthansa Exercises Option to Purchase More BMI Shares
On 28 October 2008, Lufthansa exercised its option to purchase a further 60% share in BMI, resulting in a dispute with the former owner Sir Michael Bishop.
2008: Implementation of EU-U.S. Open Skies Agreement
The EU–U.S. Open Skies Agreement came into effect in 2008, which led to Lufthansa's major investment in JetBlue Airways in December 2007.
January 2009: Lufthansa Completes Purchase of Austrian Airlines
In January 2009, Lufthansa completed the purchase of Austrian Airlines from the Austrian government.
April 2009: Outsourcing of Passenger Service System Components
Until April 2009, Lufthansa's inventory and departure control systems were managed by LH Systems. Following a decision to outsource all components of the Passenger Service System, the functions were outsourced to the Altéa platform managed by Amadeus.
June 2009: Agreement Reached for BMI Acquisition
At the end of June 2009, Lufthansa and Sir Michael Bishop reached an agreement regarding the acquisition of BMI shares.
July 2009: Lufthansa Acquires Additional Stake in BMI
The acquisition of an additional 60% share in BMI by Lufthansa took place with effect from 1 July 2009.
November 2009: Lufthansa Takes Complete Control of BMI
On 1 November 2009, Lufthansa acquired the remaining 20% of BMI from Scandinavian Airlines, taking complete control of the company.
December 2009: Brussels Airlines Joins Star Alliance
In December 2009, as a part of the deal with Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines joined Star Alliance.
February 2010: Naming of first Airbus A380s
In February 2010, Lufthansa announced that its first two Airbus A380s would be named Frankfurt am Main and München after Lufthansa's two hub airports.
2010: Lufthansa Named in Price-Fixing Investigation
In 2010, Lufthansa was named in a European Commission investigation into price-fixing, but was not fined because it acted as a whistleblower.
2010: Tradition continued
Until 2010, the tradition of naming planes after German cities continued, with exceptions for the Airbus A340-300 Gander/Halifax and the Airbus A321-100 Finkenwerder.
September 2011: Two more A380s were ordered
In September 2011, Lufthansa ordered two more A380s.
April 2012: Lufthansa Completes Sale of BMI
In April 2012, Lufthansa completed the sale of BMI to International Airlines Group (IAG), owner of British Airways and Iberia, for £172.5 million.
June 2012: Ten Airbus A380-800 delivered
By June 2012, Lufthansa had received ten of its initial order of fifteen Airbus A380-800 aircraft.
July 2012: Qantas-Lufthansa Technik Deal Falls Through
In July 2012, a Qantas–Lufthansa Technik maintenance deal for Tullamarine airport fell through, resulting in 164 engineers being made redundant. This followed just months after the closing of heavy maintenance operations, which resulted in 400 additional job losses. The partnership was announced to end in September.
March 2013: Confirmed A380 order
On March 14, 2013, Lufthansa confirmed an order of two A380 aircraft.
September 2013: Purchase of A380s approved
In September 2013, the Lufthansa Supervisory Board approved the purchase of only twelve of the first fifteen A380s, resulting in a total of fourteen A380s added to the fleet.
2013: Plans to Relocate Head Office to Frankfurt
In early 2013, Lufthansa revealed plans to relocate its head office from Cologne to Frankfurt by 2017.
2014: Business Class with lie-flat seats
As of 2014, Business Class on all widebody aircraft feature lie-flat seats.
2014: Aircraft without names in Lufthansa's fleet
As of 2014, several short- and long-haul aircraft in Lufthansa's fleet do not bear any name, either because they never received one or their former name has been given to a newer aircraft.
2014: D-AIMN San Francisco renamed Deutschland
In 2014, the Lufthansa A380 registered D-AIMN San Francisco was renamed Deutschland (Germany).
March 2015: Lufthansa Sells JetBlue Stake
In March 2015, Lufthansa sold its stake in JetBlue.
September 2015: Surcharge on Global Distribution System bookings
In September 2015, Lufthansa implemented a 16 euro surcharge on Global Distribution System bookings, unless tickets were purchased directly from Lufthansa's website, airport service centers, or ticket counters. This led to a 16.1% drop in revenue between 1–14 September, though Lufthansa attributed this to a pilot strike and seasonal effects.
October 2017: Lufthansa Takes Over Air Berlin Aircraft
In October 2017, Lufthansa acquired 81 aircraft from the insolvent Air Berlin for approximately 210 million euros.
December 2017: Settlement of Dispute with Pilot's Union
In December 2017, Lufthansa settled a major dispute with the pilot's union after nearly five years and overall 14 strikes.
December 2017: Lufthansa Receives Skytrax 5-Star Certification
On 4 December 2017, Lufthansa became the first European airline to receive the Skytrax 5-star certification, largely due to the announcement of a new Business Class cabin expected in 2020. To celebrate, Lufthansa painted an Airbus A320 and a Boeing 747-8 in the "5 Starhansa" livery.
2017: No First Class seats on Boeing 777-9s
In 2017, Lufthansa announced its first few Boeing 777-9s would not include First Class seats, although First Class could be installed on later deliveries.
2017: Zeenea founded in Paris
In 2017, Zeenea, a French metadata management startup, was founded in Paris.
2017: Option to Acquire Remaining Stake in Brussels Airlines
Lufthansa had an option to acquire the remaining 55% of Brussels Airlines by 2017, after acquiring a 45% stake in 2009.
2017: Lufthansa Awarded 5-Star Rating by Skytrax
Lufthansa held a 5-star rating since 2017, before Skytrax demoted them in May 2022 to an overall 4-star rating.
2017: Planned Relocation of Head Office to Frankfurt
Lufthansa planned to relocate its head office from Cologne to Frankfurt by 2017, as announced in 2013.
March 2018: Lufthansa Lists Taiwan as Part of China
In March 2018, Lufthansa, along with other airlines like British Airways and American Airlines, complied with a request from Beijing to list Taiwan as part of China.
March 2018: Lufthansa used its A380s from and to Munich
Since March 2018, Lufthansa has used its A380s from and to Frankfurt am Main (nine aircraft) and to and from Munich (five aircraft).
2018: New Livery Design
In 2018, Lufthansa updated its livery. The encircled crane was retained, but the background changed from yellow to dark blue. The vertical stabilizer and rear fuselage were painted in dark blue, and the tail cone remained white. The main fuselage was painted all white, and the brand name "Lufthansa" was painted above the windows in dark blue.
2019: Shareholder Structure
At the end of 2019, German investors held 67.3% of Lufthansa's shares, followed by investors from Luxembourg (10.4%), the US (8.1%), Ireland (3.6%), and the United Kingdom (3.6%). Lansdowne Partners International Ltd. and BlackRock, Inc. were the largest shareholders with 4.9% and 3.1%, respectively.
2019: Lufthansa attempted to buy TAP Portugal
In 2019, Lufthansa attempted to buy TAP Portugal, but the deal fell through due to COVID-19.
2019: Lufthansa Criticized for Deportation Flights
In 2019, Lufthansa was criticized for performing deportation flights on behalf of the German government, deporting 4,573 people on their planes, while their subsidiary Eurowings performed 1,312 deportations, totaling over 25% of deportations in Germany. At least two deportees perished during transport.
March 2020: Lufthansa Cancels Flights Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
On 19 March 2020, Lufthansa cancelled 95 percent of all flights due to travel bans resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
March 2020: Lufthansa grounds A380 fleet
On March 8, 2020, Lufthansa announced the grounding of all its A380 aircraft due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
April 2020: Lufthansa Incurred Heavy Losses Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
By April 2020, Lufthansa incurred losses of 1 million euros per hour due to the travel ban and flight cancellations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020: Shareholder Updates During COVID Crisis
During the 2020 COVID crisis, Heinz Hermann Thiele increased his stake in Lufthansa to more than 12%. The free float for Lufthansa shares was 67% in 2020.
2020: Planned Introduction of New Business Class Cabin
In 2020, Lufthansa planned to introduce a new Business Class cabin and seating. This announcement was a key factor in Lufthansa receiving the Skytrax 5-star certification in 2017.
2020: A380 fleet moved to storage
Lufthansa originally confirmed in March 2022 that its entire Airbus A380 fleet had been in storage since early 2020, and would be retired.
2020: Germanwings ceases operations
Until 2020, Germanwings was part of the Lufthansa Group.
January 2021: Lufthansa Announces Retirement of Airbus A340-600 Fleet
In January 2021, Lufthansa CEO Spohr announced the immediate retirement of the entire stored Airbus A340-600 fleet. However, this decision was later overturned, and several A340-600 aircraft returned to service in 2021 after several months in storage.
June 2021: Lufthansa Plans to Repay State Aid and Adopt Inclusive Language
In June 2021, Lufthansa aimed to repay state aid received during the pandemic before Germany's federal election in September 2021, if possible. Also in June 2021, Lufthansa announced it would change its communications to adopt more gender-neutral and inclusive language, removing greetings such as "Ladies and Gentlemen".
September 2021: Target Date for Repaying State Aid
Lufthansa aimed to repay state aid received during the pandemic before Germany's federal election in September 2021, as announced in June 2021.
2021: Premium Economy cabin with shell design
In 2021, Lufthansa plans to add a new Premium Economy cabin with a shell design with the introduction of the Boeing 777-9X. These seats are also to be installed on SWISS' Boeing 777-300ERs and Airbus A340-300s from the first and second quarter of 2021, respectively.
2021: Bus service reinstated
In 2021, a bus service from Nuremberg Airport to Munich Airport was reinstated to replace short-haul flights between the two cities.
2021: Continuing Losses and Cost Reduction Efforts
Throughout 2020, Lufthansa reduced its costs; however, continuing health risks and travel restrictions in 2021 still caused hourly losses of approximately 500,000 euros on average at the beginning of the year.
January 2022: Lufthansa Admits to Empty Flights to Keep Airport Slots
In January 2022, Lufthansa admitted to operating over 18,000 empty flights to maintain airport slots during the pandemic.
March 2022: Lufthansa Confirms Retirement of Airbus A380 Fleet
In March 2022, Lufthansa originally confirmed that its entire Airbus A380 fleet, which had been in storage since early 2020, would be retired.
May 2022: Lufthansa Loses Skytrax 5-Star Rating
In May 2022, Skytrax demoted Lufthansa from its 5-star rating, which it had held since 2017, to an overall 4-star rating.
May 2022: Lufthansa bars Jewish passengers from flight
In May 2022, a Lufthansa flight from New York to Frankfurt had passengers who didn't follow crew instructions. Subsequently, Lufthansa barred over a hundred visibly Jewish passengers from boarding a connecting flight to Budapest, though most were rebooked on other flights the same day.
May 2022: Discussion on industry synergies at G7
In May 2022, the topic of rising synergies between the German and Italian industries was discussed between the German and Italian leaders at the meeting of G7 leaders in Hiroshima.
June 2022: Lufthansa Reverses A380 Retirement Decision
In June 2022, Lufthansa reversed its March 2022 decision and planned to return up to five Airbus A380 aircraft from storage by 2023 to be based at Munich Airport. There was also an option to return all eight remaining A380 aircraft to service by 2024.
June 2022: Lufthansa to reactivate A380s
On June 27, 2022, Lufthansa announced plans to reactivate the remaining fleet of eight A380s and bring them back into service for the 2023 summer season due to stronger than anticipated customer demand and the delayed delivery of Boeing 777-9 aircraft.
August 2022: Lufthansa adopts IHRA definition of antisemitism
In August 2022, Lufthansa adopted the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism and appointed a senior manager to prevent antisemitism and other discrimination.
October 2022: New First Class product unveiled
In October 2022, Lufthansa unveiled a new suite-style First Class product to be introduced on new A350 deliveries in 2023.
December 2022: Lufthansa reactivates first A380
On December 2, 2022, Lufthansa reactivated the first of two A380s, a nine-year-old D-AIMK, to be entered into revenue service beginning in the summer of 2023. The aircraft left Teruel Airport for Frankfurt Airport after three years of storage, with its landing gears not retracted during the flight.
2022: Warning Strikes by Ground Workers
During the 2022 collective bargaining, verdi said that Lufthansa's wage offer meant real wage losses for employees and called on around 20,000 ground workers in Germany to go on warning strikes.
2022: Lufthansa Group carried 93 million passengers
In 2022, the Lufthansa Group, including Lufthansa Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, and others, carried 93 million passengers, making it the second-largest airline group in Europe by passengers.
2022: Planned Sale of A380 Aircraft
Starting in 2022, Lufthansa announced in March 2019 that it would sell six A380 aircraft back to Airbus.
March 2023: Lufthansa negotiates deal to buy ITA Airways
In March 2023, Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr visited ITA Airways headquarters in Rome to negotiate a deal to buy the Italian airline, starting at around €200 million for 40% of the airline, with an option to buy the entire airline later.
May 2023: Lufthansa Group to Acquire Stake in ITA Airways
In May 2023, Lufthansa Group announced an agreement with the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) to acquire a 41 per cent stake in ITA Airways, with the option to acquire the remaining shares at a later date.
June 2023: Lufthansa A380 returns to commercial service
On June 1, 2023, Lufthansa's A380 made its return to commercial service, with flight LH424 from Munich to Boston lasting 7 hours and 22 minutes. After their reactivation, Lufthansa announced the A380 was to begin revenue flights from Munich to Boston Logan on 1 June 2023 and New York-JFK on 4 July 2023, with routes to Los Angeles and Bangkok to follow in October.
July 2023: A380 service to New York-JFK announced
In July 2023, Lufthansa planned to begin revenue flights from Munich to New York-JFK with the A380.
July 2023: Airbus A350-900s with First Class seats to be delivered
Starting in July 2023, 10 Airbus A350-900s with First Class seats were scheduled to be delivered.
November 2023: A380s exit the fleet
By November 2023, all six Airbus A380 aircraft were expected to have exited the Lufthansa fleet.
2023: Lufthansa Flights Redirected Due to IT Glitch
In 2023, Lufthansa was affected by an IT glitch, leading to thousands of passengers being stranded. Flights were redirected from Frankfurt to other airports due to the IT issue, which was reportedly caused by construction work cutting through fiber optic cables.
2023: Revenue service for A380
In the summer of 2023, Lufthansa will begin revenue service for A380 reactivated in December 2022.
2023: A380s to return to service
Lufthansa plans to reactivate its A380s for the 2023 summer season.
May 2024: Lufthansa Rolls Out New Safety Video
In May 2024, Lufthansa rolled out a new safety video in line with the Allegris launch.
August 8, 2024: HCLSoftware to acquire Zeenea
On August 8, 2024, HCLSoftware announced its intent to acquire Zeenea for 24 million euros. Zeenea is expected to continue operating as an independent unit under Actian, their data & analytics division.
September 2024: Eighth A380 reactivated
In September 2024, Lufthansa reactivated its eighth and last remaining A380.
October 2024: Lufthansa pays penalty for discrimination
In October 2024, Lufthansa paid a $4 million penalty to the US Department of Transportation related to the May 2022 incident, less the $2 million already paid to passengers in a settlement, while denying discrimination and blaming the incident on inaccurate communications.
2024: Potential Return of All Remaining A380 Aircraft
There was an option for Lufthansa to return all eight remaining Airbus A380 aircraft to service by 2024, as decided in June 2022.
2025: Lufthansa to Refit Boeing 747 with New Business Class Seats
In 2025, Lufthansa plans to refit some of its Boeing 747 aircraft with new Business Class seats, splitting the cabin into two halves: one with new luxurious seats and the other with the original first-class seats.
2025: A380 flight destinations in 2025
In 2025, Lufthansa will deploy the A380 on flights from Munich to Bangkok, Logan International Airport, Delhi, Denver, Washington-Dulles, New York-JFK, and Los Angeles.
2025: Boeing 777-9 delivery delayed
Lufthansa would not receive the Boeing 777-9 until 2025 or later, which is one reason that they reactivated their A380 fleet.
Mentioned in this timeline
JetBlue Airways Corporation a prominent American low-cost airline is headquartered...
Christmas is an annual festival celebrated on December th commemorating...
San Francisco officially the City and County of San Francisco...
China officially the People's Republic of China PRC is located...
Germany officially the Federal Republic of Germany is a Central...
Los Angeles L A is the most populous city in...
Trending
31 minutes ago Charissa Thompson Gets Taylor Swift's Pop-Tarts, Approved by Travis Kelce; Dinner Speculation Arises.
31 minutes ago Jose Ramirez shines as Guardians defeat Yankees; extends on-base streak to 31.
32 minutes ago Giants Secure Dramatic Win Over Braves in 10th Inning with Wild Pitch.
32 minutes ago Jacob deGrom Shines in Rangers' Shutout Victory Over Nationals, Ending Losing Streak
2 months ago Gavin Lux's 2025 Performance, Diaz Returns to Reds, and Other Dodgers Updates
2 hours ago Bobby Flay confirms relationship with Brooke Williamson, calling themselves 'lucky' to be dating.
Popular
Cristiano Ronaldo often called CR is a Portuguese professional footballer...
Donald John Trump is an American politician media personality and...
Michael Jordan also known as MJ is an American businessman...
LeBron James nicknamed King James is a professional basketball player...
Elon Musk is a prominent businessman best known for leading...
Anthony Stephen Fauci is a prominent American physician-scientist and immunologist...