Lufthansa celebrates 100 years since its first flights in Berlin - Get updated on what's happening in tourism!

It is a special date for Lufthansa and a special day for all the employees who have shaped the airline with the crane logo: Exactly 100 years ago today - on April 6, 1926 - Lufthansa (at that time: “Luft Hansa”) took to the skies on its first flights. On that day, two aircraft took off from Berlin-Tempelhof Airport bound for Zurich and Cologne. Exactly a century later, this special date was fittingly celebrated as a chronological highlight of the anniversary year on Easter Monday - including two special flights that retraced the historic routes of the inaugural flights.

A Boeing 787-9 and an Airbus A350-900, both in blue anniversary livery featuring a white XXL crane, had taken off from Frankfurt and Munich that morning. On board: hundreds of Lufthansa employees with their partners, who, as lucky winners of an internal raffle, had been invited by the company to join the anniversary flights and be there in person in Berlin on this special day. A total of more than 600 guests, including passengers on the fully booked special flights as well as invited guests from the political and aviation sectors, celebrated the highlight of the anniversary year at a festive event in Berlin. Among them was Berlin’s Governing Mayor, Kai Wegner. A special highlight: The Boeing 787-9 in anniversary livery was officially named “Berlin” during the ceremony.

Jens Ritter, CEO of Lufthansa Airlines, emphasized in his speech: “Today, Lufthansa is celebrating its birthday! Driven by a pioneering spirit and passion, it all began here in Berlin. Exactly 100 years ago, the first flights of the original Lufthansa took off from here. Today, Berlin is one of our company’s largest locations. Around 2,000 Lufthansa employees live and work in the capital region. Lufthansa and the Group’s airlines will remain strong partners in Berlin in the future.”

Kai Wegner, Governing Mayor of Berlin, emphasized in his welcoming remarks: “100 years of Lufthansa is an impressive anniversary. On April 6, 1926, two flights departed from Berlin to Zurich and Cologne, thereby establishing Lufthansa’s long-standing connection with Berlin. To this day, Lufthansa remains an outstanding partner for Berlin - and I am delighted that, on the occasion of this special anniversary, we are naming the Boeing 787-9 ‘Berlin.’”

Routes of the inaugural flights re-enacted

Around 3:15 p.m., the Boeing 787-9, which had previously been named “Berlin,” and the Airbus A350-900 with the registration D-AIXL then departed the capital for Zurich and Cologne. On their journey, the special flights flew over the locations where stopovers were made on April 6, 1926. The Boeing 787-9 flew from Berlin via Halle, Erfurt, and Stuttgart to Zurich, while the A350-900 flew via Magdeburg to Cologne. The flight numbers of the two flights, LH1926 and LH2026, also commemorated the special anniversary.

Lufthansa will celebrate its 100th founding anniversary in 2026. Berlin plays a special role in the airline’s history: the first Lufthansa was founded here on January 6, 1926. Today, the Lufthansa Group is one of the four largest airlines worldwide and the largest airline group in Europe. In Berlin, the company is the clear market leader. Around 30 percent of all flights in the capital are operated by airlines within the group.

The ceremonial highlight of Lufthansa’s anniversary year will take place on April 15 with a ceremony in Frankfurt. On this day, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is also expected to attend at Lufthansa Group Hangar One, the new conference and visitor center at Frankfurt Airport.

Picture Credit © Lufthansa Group