Lufthansa 100 Years
By Elke Porter | Westcoast German News | September 28, 2025
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Frankfurt – As Lufthansa prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2026, the German flag carrier is honouring a century of aviation excellence with a stunning commemorative aircraft livery that pays tribute to its enduring legacy.
Founded on January 6, 1926, in Berlin, Deutsche Luft Hansa emerged from the merger of Deutsche Luft-Reederei and Junkers Luftverkehr, mandated by the German government to consolidate the nation's aviation industry. The airline's name drew inspiration from the historic Hanseatic League, the medieval trading alliance that once dominated Baltic commerce—a fitting symbol for an enterprise destined to connect continents.
The airline's iconic crane symbol, designed by graphic designer Otto Firle in 1918, has soared alongside Lufthansa's journey from its earliest days. This emblem of grace, safety, and freedom now takes centre stage in the centennial celebration. The special livery, to be unveiled on a new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in December, features a dramatic blue fuselage with a white crane whose wings seamlessly merge with the aircraft's own—a powerful visual metaphor uniting tradition with innovation.
Lufthansa's first century tells a remarkable story of growth and resilience. Beginning operations with 162 mostly outdated World War I aircraft and 1,527 staff members, the airline quickly expanded its network across Europe. The inaugural scheduled flight departed Berlin's Tempelhof Airport on April 6, 1926, bound for Zürich. Within its first year, Lufthansa flew over six million kilometres, carrying more than 56,000 passengers.
The airline achieved numerous aviation milestones, including pioneering night flights between Berlin and Königsberg, establishing connections from Berlin to Moscow and Madrid, and participating in the historic 1928 transatlantic crossing by the Junkers W 33 "Bremen." By the late 1920s, Lufthansa had extended its reach to Tokyo and developed innovative mail delivery systems using catapult-launched aircraft from ocean liners.
Today's Lufthansa, re-established in 1953, embraces this heritage while looking confidently toward the future. CEO Jens Ritter reflects: "Our Lufthansa crane stands for safety, pioneering spirit, premium quality, freedom and reliability. This has been the case for the past 100 years and will continue to be so in the future."
In addition to the crane, the numerals “100” are integrated on the left side of the fuselage and the lettering “1926 / 2026” on the right side. A “100” logo is also painted on the underside of the aircraft.
As the specially-liveried Boeing 787 prepares to serve as a flying ambassador worldwide, it carries forward a century of aviation history—and the promise of many more years to come.
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