As time flies by

The History of Lufthansa - The chronicle of events

Lufthansa can look back on an eventful history. It has included many glorious moments but the course of events has not always been smooth. History is always a reflection of people and their times. The challenges facing air transport have become increasingly complex, yet Lufthansa has always found the strength to learn and renew itself. That ability has gained the company its lead position in the international airline business.

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

1 January 1951
Liquidation of the old Lufthansa begins, on orders from the Allied powers.
29 May 1951
Transport Minister Dr. Seebohm appoints Hans M. Bongers to advise the Federal Government on “issues relating to future German aviation.” Bongers sets up his office in Cologne; graduate engineer Gerhard Höltje takes on responsibility for the technical side of the business.
9 November 1951
Organizational meeting of the “Preparation Committee Aviation” (PCA) appointed by the German Transport Minister.
26 September 1952
The German cabinet decides to form a preparatory company for the planned air transport activities.
18 November 1952
The PCA presents its final report, which states that the “key issues have been cleared.”
6 January 1953
Founding of the “Aktiengesellschaft für Luftverkehrsbedarf” (Corporation for Air Transport Requirements), “Luftag” for short, with headquarters in Cologne and a share capital of DM 6 million. Dr. Kurt Weigelt, of Deutsche Bank, is appointed Chairman of the Supervisory Board. Hans M. Bongers is named board member in charge of commercial operations, and Gerhard Höltje is appointed board member in charge of technical engineering.
26 June 1953
Luftag orders its first aircraft: four Super Constellations from Lockheed.
28 September 1953
A firm order is placed for four Convair 340s at Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation.
November 1953
The first regular training courses for German pilots and navigators are begun at Luftag’s premises in Cologne. Here they are able to regain their licenses.
16 November 1953
An extraordinary Luftag general meeting approves a capital increase to DM 25 million.
2 December 1953
Luftag signs a long-term lease with the operators of Hamburg Airport. The large maintenance and overhaul hangar is built. This is later to become the home of Lufthansa’s technical base.
6 August 1954
Luftag’s Annual General Meeting votes to change the company name to “Deutsche Lufthansa AG.” The name was acquired beforehand from “Deutsche Lufthansa AG in Liquidation.” The capital is increased to DM 50 million.
25 November 1954
The new Lufthansa takes over all shares of the airline’s self-insurance firm, “Deutsche Lufthansa Selbstversicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft” (Delvag), from “Deutsche Lufthansa AG in Liquidation”.
29 November 1954
The first two Convair aircraft arrive in Hamburg.
January to February 1955
The first training course for flight attendants takes place at the Lufthansa school in Hamburg. A total of 50 courses are held here. Lufthansa relocates the school to Frankfurt in 1964, for organizational and capacity reasons.
31 March 1955
The maintenance hangar at the Hamburg base is officially inaugurated in the presence of 800 guests of honor and 1,200 Lufthansa employees.
1 April 1955
Things take off: Lufthansa starts up operations on German routes with special permission from the Allies.
5 May 1955
The Paris Treaties go into effect: They grant the Federal Republic of Germany its sovereignty, including its air sovereignty.
15 May 1955
The first international routes are inaugurated. Lufthansa now also flies to Madrid, London and Paris.
June 6 to June 8, 1955
Meeting of the Executive Committee of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in Montreal: Lufthansa is accepted as a member with immediate effect, and receives representation and voting rights in the IATA Traffic Conference.
8 June 1955
The first North Atlantic flight of the new Lufthansa: with a Super Constellation from Hamburg via Dusseldorf and Shannon to New York’s Idlewild Airport.
5 July 1955
Annual General Meeting in Stuttgart: Lufthansa has evolved from state-owned company to a privately-owned, market-driven Group. And most importantly, Lufthansa leaves the loss zone behind and flies into the profit zone again.
21 August 1955
Special flight of the German national track-and-field team aboard a Lufthansa aircraft to Helsinki
8 September 1955
Two special Lufthansa aircraft arrive at Moscow’s Wnukowo Airport: with Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and a German delegation aboard.
1 October 1955
The first training course begins at the Lufthansa flight academy in Hamburg Fuhlsbüttel.
4 October 1955
Capital increase to DM 80 million.
21 December 1955
Lufthansa takes a participation in the newly incorporated “Deutsche Flugdienst GmbH,” which is later to become “Condor Flugdienst GmbH.”
11 February 1956
A preliminary contract is signed with Boeing for the acquisition of four Boeing B707-400s. The price per aircraft is about DM 22 million.
1 May 1956
Lufthansa opens its own flight academy in Bremen with a training course for 12 pilots-to-be.
June 17 to July 31, 1956
First freight services on German routes.
15 August 1956
Inauguration of Lufthansa’s first South America route: Hamburg–Dusseldorf/Frankfurt–Paris–Dakar–Rio de Janeiro–São Paulo– Buenos Aires.
12 September 1956
Lufthansa launches its “Orient Service” – a Middle Eastern route to Istanbul, Baghdad and Teheran.
5 November 1956
The “Paper Jet” project takes off: A simulation program prepares Lufthansa for the jet age.
4 December 1956
A further capital increase to DM 120 million is approved.
März 1957
The last British pilots leave Lufthansa. British and American pilots had served in the cockpits of Lufthansa aircraft and trained German colleagues, as long as there was still a shortage of licensed pilots.
1 April 1957
A new profession at Lufthansa: The first Commercial Aviation Managers begin their apprenticeship training.
5 July 1957
Hightech: Lufthansa orders its first Boeing B707 simulator.
5 September 1957
Lufthansa pilots train in the first flight simulator for the Super Constellation.
4 December 1957
Inauguration of freight services between the Federal Republic and the USA. It operates twice a week with a chartered DC-4 flying the Lufthansa colors.
16 December 1957
Lufthansa takes on the first graduates from its own flight academy as copilots.
29 January 1958
The Berlin city office opens on Kurfürstendamm.
17 March 1958
Lufthansa now serves its North Atlantic routes with the Lockheed “Super Star,” the most modern large aircraft of the day.
31 July 1958
Lufthansa welcomes its millionth passenger since it started up services in 1955.
October 3 to November 8, 1958
Special flight carrying Federal Economics Minister Ludwig Erhard. This is the new Lufthansa’s first flight to the Far East.
10 October 1958
First scheduled flight of the four-engined turboprop aircraft Vickers Viscount at Lufthansa.
6 November 1958
For the first time, Lufthansa First Class passengers enjoy its exclusive “Senator Service” on the route to New York.
11 January 1959
The Lockheed Super Constellation registered D-ALAK crashes in Rio de Janeiro. All 29 passengers lose their lives. Three of the ten-member crew survive the accident.
22 September 1959
Professor Wolfgang A. Kittel (left) and Professor Hans Süssenguth are named deputy members of the Lufthansa Executive Board.
27 October 1959
Capital increase to DM 180 million.
November 1 to November 3, 1959
First scheduled flight on the southern route to Asia with a Super Constellation: Hamburg–Dusseldorf–Frankfurt–Rome–Cairo–Karachi–Calcutta–Bangkok.
7 February 1960
Special flight for the German Olympic Team to Reno, Nevada for the Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley.
17 March 1960
Lufthansa enters the jet age by introducing the Boeing B707 on its North Atlantic routes.
29 March 1960
The “Butterfly Hall,” the maintenance hangar taking its name from its distinctive roof lines, is inaugurated at Frankfurt Airport. By now, Frankfurt has become Lufthansa’s base for intercontinental flights.
13 May 1960
Lufthansa launches services to its first destination on the US West Coast: Flights to San Francisco are operated with the new Boeing B707.
22 July 1960
Professor Wolfgang A. Kittel is named member of Lufthansa’s Executive Board.
16 September 1960
A Lufthansa aircraft is christened for the first time: At Lufthansa’s Frankfurt base, Willy Brandt, then mayor of Berlin, gives a Boeing B707 the name “Berlin.”
12 December 1960
Dr. Hermann Josef Abs, member of Deutsche Bank’s Board of Management, replaces Dr. Kurt Weigelt as chairman of the Supervisory Board. Dr. Weigelt remains honorary chairman of the Supervisory Board until his death on August 4, 1968. The company’s capital is increased to DM 250 million.
23 January 1961
The Far Eastern route changes over to Boeing B707 service: via Bangkok to Hong Kong and Tokyo.
20 May 1961
First scheduled flights of the Boeing B720B, a smaller version of the Boeing B707, on the South Atlantic routes.
1 July 1961
Lufthansa switches its services to the Middle East from propeller to jet aircraft; Boeing B720Bs now fly these routes.
1 September 1961
Lufthansa inaugurates its night airmail network on routes within Germany, on behalf of the German Post Office.
10 September 1961
Lufthansa welcomes its 1-millionth passenger for the year 1961.
1 November 1961
“Deutsche Flugdienst GmbH,” a fully-owned Lufthansa subsidiary since 1959, is renamed “Condor Flugdienst GmbH.”
4 March 1962
First flight to Lagos, Nigeria. Kickoff of Lufthansa’s “Africa Year.”
14 May 1962
Lufthansa adds Johannesburg to its network. The routing is via Athens, Khartoum and Nairobi.
24 October 1962
Günter Lenz, the first graduate of Lufthansa’s flight academy, is promoted to the rank of captain.
5 November 1962
The US Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) authorizes Lufthansa’s engineering workshops to service, maintain, overhaul and test the aircraft and engines of American aircraft operators. The Hamburg base thus receives international recognition for its outstanding performance in aircraft maintenance
1 April 1963
Following the model of shuttle flights in the USA, Lufthansa launches its domestic “Airbus” service with Super Constellations. Aircraft leave at specified intervals, and ticket sales on board eliminate inconvenient reservations and check-in procedures. There is no inflight service, and fares are reduced. These shuttle flights are offered until March 1970.
16 December 1963
Professor Hans Süssenguth is named member of the Executive Board. His areas of responsibility are: sales, field organiza_tion, inflight service and marketing.
16 April 1964
The “Europa Jet” takes to the skies: the first scheduled flight of a Lufthansa Boeing B727, from now on the aircraft of choice for European and Middle Eastern routes.
28 May 1964
A Lufthansa Boeing B707 flies for the first time across the North Pole on the routing Frankfurt– Hamburg–Copenhagen–Fairbanks (Anchorage from September)–Tokyo. This is Lufthansa’s second Far Eastern route.
20 July 1964
Lufthansa’s flight attendant school moves from Hamburg to Frankfurt. Since January 3, 1955, the airline has trained about 1,300 flight attendants. At the new Frankfurt location, the school’s 51st course prepares participants for their new tasks in the air.
2 November 1964
Dr. Herbert Culmann is named member of the Executive Board.
Dezember 1964
Lufthansa achieves a major goal: The airline presents its first positive annual financial statements. Ten years after its foundation, the new Lufthansa thrusts forward into the profit zone with a net income for the year of DM 36.9 million.
31 December 1964
Hans M. Bongers and Professor Wolfgang A. Kittel take their retirement.
19 February 1965
Lufthansa becomes the “Launching Customer.” Its Supervisory Board approves the acquisition of 21 Boeing B737s. Lufthansa had initiated the construction of this short-haul jet, which was to become the world’s best-selling aircraft.
3 April 1965
After protracted negotiations on traffic rights, the first Lufthansa aircraft takes off on a scheduled flight to Australia. The routing is Frankfurt–Athens–Karachi–Bangkok–Singapore–Darwin–Sydney.
20 July 1965
The Annual General Meeting approves a capital increase of DM 150 million, to DM 400 million. The federal government does not exercise some of its subscription rights, giving private investors their first opportunity to buy Lufthansa shares. There is lively interest. Shares for DM 325 million are subscribed for, and must thus be allotted. Lufthansa shares are also traded on the stock exchange from April 1966 onward.
23 July 1965
A baby girl is born aboard Lufthansa flight LH 408 from Frankfurt to New York. The parents – impressed by the unusual delivery room – name her “Barbara Lufthansa.”
27 September 1965
The dissolution of the predecessor company “Deutsche Lufthansa AG in Liquidation,” which continued to exist on paper, is concluded in Berlin.
Dezember 1965
Lufthansa’s four Boeing B720Bs leave the fleet. They are exchanged for Boeing B707s.
28 January 1966
The Convair Metropolitan 440 registered D-ACAT crashes near Bremen. All 46 aboard perish. The cause of the accident has never been determined.
26 April 1966
Incorporation of “Lufthansa Service GmbH.” The airline’s inflight service operations in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich and Cologne are merged into this fully-owned subsidiary.
27 June 1966
Lufthansa orders three Boeing B747s, taking its first steps into the wide-body jet age. The first aircraft are to be delivered in 1970. The price is DM 105 million each.
Dezember 1966
In the financial year 1966, Lufthansa’s revenues exceed DM 1 billion for the first time.
1 March 1967
Lufthansa put its first electronic reservation system into service.
1 May 1967
An offshoot in the desert: Lufthansa’s flight academy shifts the bulk of its flight training activities to San Diego, California (from 1970: Phoenix, Arizona).
6 October 1967
Last scheduled flight of a Lufthansa Super Constellation.
1 January 1968
Lufthansa takes over all shares of the charter group “Südflug.”
10 February 1968
A world premiere: The “City Jet,” the Boeing B737, takes off for its first scheduled Lufthansa flight. With the introduction of the City Jet, short-haul routes join the jet age too.
6 May 1968
The “Little Red Riding Hood Service” makes its debut in Frankfurt. It provides special assistance for unaccompanied children, and for passengers who are ill or otherwise in need of help.
14 March 1969
The ATLAS Agreement is signed in Paris. Lufthansa, Air France, Alitalia and Sabena agree to cooperate on the maintenance of their Boeing B747 fleets. Iberia becomes the group’s fifth member in 1972. Later, the agreement also covers Douglas DC-10s and Airbus A300s.
20 June 1969
Gerhard Frühe is appointed to the Executive Board as head of Human Resources. In 1979 he is named employee relations director.
December 1 to December 5, 1969
The first worldwide Lufthansa Sales Conference takes place in Berlin.
Januar 1970
In Cologne, headquarters moves from the former buildings of Cologne University to a high-rise on the banks of the Rhine.
26 April 1970
The Boeing B747, the world’s largest passenger aircraft, begins scheduled services on its first Lufthansa route: Frankfurt–New York.
9 June 1970
Dr. Herbert Culmann is named spokesman of Lufthansa’s Executive Board.
31 July 1970
Graduate engineer Reinhardt Abraham is named deputy board member.
15 January 1971
START GmbH is incorporated. Via a computerized system, it provides travel agents access to the reservations and information systems of Lufthansa, Deutsche Bundesbahn, Touristik Union and other touristic vendors.
29 January 1971
Lufthansa’s ground staff go on strike for better pay settlements and improved internal salary structures. Work resumes on February 8, following arbitration discussions.
31 March 1971
Provisional end of the propeller era at Lufthansa: The Vickers Viscount is withdrawn from service.
10 May 1971
Lufthansa inaugurates its new air cargo center in Frankfurt. At the time, “Frachthof 3” is the world’s largest air cargo hall.
5 February 1972
Lufthansa now also flies to Moscow.
21 February 1972
On the flight from Delhi to Athens, the Boeing B747 “Baden-Württemberg” is hijacked and forced to fly to Aden. Its passengers have already arrived safely in Germany aboard special flights, when aircraft and crew are released against payment of a US$ 5 million ransom.
19 April 1972
Lufthansa becomes the first airline to operate the all-freighter version of the Boeing B747 on scheduled flights between Frankfurt and New York.
1 July 1972
Graduate engineer Reinhardt Abraham becomes a full member of the Executive Board, succeeding Professor Gerhard Höltje, previously responsible for the airline’s Engineering Division. Höltje leaves the company after 40 years of dedicated work in the service of aviation.
4 August 1972
Dr. Herbert Culmann is appointed chairman of Lufthansa’s Executive Board. Dr. Walter Hesselbach (below), chairman of the Management Board of Bank für Gemeinwirtschaft AG, succeeds Dr. Hermann J. Abs as chairman of the Supervisory Board. Abs will later become honorary chairman of the Supervisory Board.
August 26 to September 10, 1972
Lufthansa operates 323 special flights to the Olympic Games in Munich.
29 October 1972
Another hijacking: On a flight from Beirut to Munich, the Lufthansa Boeing B727 “Kiel” is forced to land in Nicosia, Cyprus. The hijackers’ goal is to force the release of the three imprisoned Arabs who participated in the terrorist attack during the Olympic Games in Munich. The terrorists are taken aboard the “Kiel” after it lands in Zagreb. Passengers and aircraft are only released later on, in Tripoli.
1 November 1972
For the first time, a flight captain is appointed to the Executive Board: Werner Utter
20 December 1972
The Supervisory Board approves an order for three Airbus A300s.
27 February 1973
Lufthansa inaugurates Europe’s most advanced passenger reservation system. Its control center is located at the Lufthansa Base in Frankfurt.
12 March 1973
The first Lufthansa aircraft to land in the German Democratic Republic: a special flight from Frankfurt to Leipzig.
19 April 1973
Now Lufthansa also has its own freight terminal in New York.
21 May 1973
Special flight of a German business delegation to Beijing.
31 May 1973
A “go slow” by the German air traffic controllers forces Lufthansa to cut its domestic and part of its international flights to 75 percent of planned departures. This industrial action only ends on November 28 – because of the oil crisis – after an appeal from Chancellor Willy Brandt to the controllers. In December Lufthansa is able to resume its full flight program. Bottom-line for Lufthansa alone: a loss of DM 172 million. After drawn-out negotiations and a judgment by the court of arbitration, the Federal Government, as the air traffic controllers’ ultimate employer, reimburses the airline DM 163 million.
5 August 1973
Start of operations to Tokyo on the trans-Siberian route, Lufthansa’s third Tokyo route. Services on this route are halted in 1984 due to problems related to traffic rights.
6 August 1973
Lufthansa’s capital is increased to DM 600 million.
1 November 1973
Worldwide oil crisis: Problems with kerosene supplies lead Lufthansa to combine flights that are insufficiently filled.
13 December 1973
The Lufthansa training center in Seeheim, near Frankfurt, is inaugurated. Lufthansa employees from all around the world are trained here.
17 December 1973
Terrorism: After a gunfire attack on a Pan Am Boeing B707, the Lufthansa Boeing B737 “Worms” is hijacked from Rome via Athens and Damascus to Kuwait. There the terrorists surrender after negotiations. Hostages and aircraft are released on December 18.
19 December 1973
While landing in Delhi, the Boeing B707-300 “Dusseldorf” touches the “inner marker,” the last beacon of the approach lights, which causes it to crash-land. Luckily, the worst can be avoided: All 109 aboard survive. It took only 90 seconds to evacuate the aircraft.
27 December 1973
“Lufthansa Commercial Holding” is incorporated. Lufthansa regroups all sales-related participations, especially those in the hotel sector, into this fully-owned subsidiary. (Until January 25, 1974 it bears the name “Lufthansa Dienstleistungs GmbH.”)
14 January 1974
Lufthansa operates its first scheduled flight with a Douglas DC-10. The new type of aircraft flies on the Far Eastern route Frankfurt–Rome–Karachi–Delhi–Bangkok–Hong Kong–Tokyo.
20 November 1974
Nairobi: The Boeing B747-100 “Hessen” crashes on takeoff because its leading edge flaps are not extended. Tragic result: 58 dead, 97 injured.
25 June 1975
The purchase contract of three Airbus A300s is signed, and options for nine more A300s are placed.
31 December 1975
For the first time in its history, Lufthansa carries more than 10 million passengers in a single year.
2 February 1976
The first Airbus A300 is delivered to Lufthansa. The “short-haul Jumbo” flies routes in Germany and to London, Paris and Madrid.
19 November 1976
Lufthansa acquires 25.3 percent of the capital of “Hansa Luftbild GmbH” in Munster.
10 March 1977
The freight business is becoming ever-more important. Lufthansa incorporates its subsidiary “German Cargo Services GmbH” (GCS) for cargo charter flights.
3 April 1977
First scheduled nonstop flight to Los Angeles with a Boeing B747SL, a version specifically developed for extreme long-hauls.
14 July 1977
The Supervisory Board approves the most comprehensive investment project to date: a fleet modernization program valued at about DM 1 billion, comprising five Boeing B747s, six Boeing B727s and options for four more Boeing B747s.
October 13 to October 17, 1977
Terrorists hijack the Lufthansa Boeing B737 “Landshut” on the flight from Palma de Mallorca to Frankfurt to obtain the release of the imprisoned “Red Army Faction” terrorists. After an odyssey via Rome, Larnaca and Bahrein, the aircraft lands in Dubai, then in Aden, Yemen. There, the terrorists murder Captain Jürgen Schumann. At the airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, a detachment of the GSG 9 elite troops of the Federal Border Guard is finally able to free the hostages.
3 November 1977
RAF terrorists threaten to blow up Lufthansa aircraft. Imprisoned RAF terrorists had taken their own lives when the demands for their release were not met during the hijacking of the Lufthansa Boeing “Landshut.” For each dead prisoner, one Lufthansa aircraft was to be blown up in flight. Following the publication of the bomb threats, reservations for Lufthansa flights drop off drastically.
1 April 1978
The introduction of the “Holiday Fare” marks the start of a new pricing structure for leisure travelers. It applies first to flights to the USA.
3 April 1978
The cornerstone for the Lufthansa Cargo Center (LCC) is officially laid at Frankfurt Airport.
29 June 1978
The Supervisory Board approves a 26-percent Lufthansa participation in the “Deutsche Regional Luftverkehrsgesellschaft mbH” (DLT). Lufthansa increases its capital to DM 900 million.
1 July 1978
Professor Dipl. rer. pol. Günter O. Eser succeeds Hans Süssenguth on Lufthansa’s Executive Board. Süssenguth takes his retirement.
1 January 1979
The “Flexible Three-Class System” – First, Business and Economy – is introduced on North Atlantic routes.
22 March 1979
The contract for 32 advanced Boeing B737-200s is signed, and an option for another 24 aircraft of this type is placed.
2 April 1979
Lufthansa orders 25 Airbus A310s, and places options for another 25 aircraft with Airbus Industrie.
26 July 1979
An error at air traffic control causes the crash of the Boeing B707-300C “Essen” north of Rio de Janeiro, claiming the lives of the freighter’s three-member crew.
12 September 1979
Hijacking with an undramatic ending: All 130 passengers and crew aboard a Boeing B737 hijacked on a flight from Frankfurt to Cologne are released unharmed following negotiations led by State Minister Hans-Jürgen Wischnewski. The hijacker is arrested.
7 April 1980
Lufthansa inaugurates scheduled services to Beijing.
1 November 1980
The “Fly & Save” fare is introduced on German routes, offering savings of up to 40 percent on full fares.
19 November 1980
Pope John Paul II concludes his visit to Germany by flying to Rome on a Lufthansa Airbus.
3 December 1980
Lufthansa takes over the nominal capital of Airport Catering Services Deutschland GmbH, which is simultaneously renamed Lufthansa Service Berlin GmbH (LSG Berlin).
21 December 1980
The first of a total of 36 Boeing B737-200 Advanceds lands in Frankfurt.
23 June 1981
Hans M. Bongers, one of the new Lufthansa’s founders, dies at the age of 82.
Oktober 1981
A new marketing instrument: The “Lufthansa Savings Passbook” makes it easier to plan low-cost leisure trips. It lists all special fares and their conditions at a glance.
November 1981
Business Class is now available on all long-haul routes.
30 November 1981
Incorporation of the “MVP-Versuchs- und Planungsgesellschaft für Magnetbahnsysteme mbH,” a company to plan and develop magnetic train systems, in Munich. Lufthansa now holds a 33.3-percent share in the development of the Transrapid train.
8 February 1982
The Lufthansa Cargo Center (LCC) is inaugurated at Frankfurt Airport. It is the world’s largest air freight center.
27 March 1982
Maiden voyage of the Lufthansa Airport Express from Dusseldorf Central Station, via Cologne and Bonn, to Frankfurt Airport.
1 April 1982
Heinz Ruhnau is named deputy chairman of Lufthansa’s Executive Board.
1 May 1982
Door-to-door air freight: “c+d Luftfracht-System GmbH” in Frankfurt, a joint-venture of Schenker & Co. and Lufthansa, makes its debut in the market.
30 June 1982
Chairman of the Executive Board Dr. Herbert Culmann hands his responsibilities over to Heinz Ruhnau.
5 July 1982
Dr. Richard von Weizsäcker, then mayor of Berlin, names a Boeing B747 “Berlin.”
1 August 1982
Dr. Günther Becher assumes his responsibilities on Lufthansa’s Executive Board. He is in charge of finance, accounting, controlling, data services and the company’s centralized functions.
29 March 1983
The first Airbus A310s are handed over to Lufthansa and Swissair in Toulouse. Both companies had a significant share in the development of this type of aircraft.
mid-May 1983
New services to Calgary and Vancouver on Canada’s Pacific Coast.
14 July 1983
The chairman of Lufthansa’s Supervisory Board, Dr. Walter Hesselbach, hands his responsibilities over to Gerd Lausen.
1 September 1983
Lufthansa’s comprehensive frequent flyer service program takes off. It grants waiting list priority at check-in, increased baggage allowances, advantages at Lufthansa partner hotels and check-in at Business Class counters.
14 February 1984
Joint-venture agreement between Lufthansa and Cathay Pacific Airways. Daily flights between Frankfurt and Hong Kong are operated as joint services.
18 July 1984
First Lufthansa Annual General Meeting held in Berlin since the war.
30 August 1984
Lufthansa starts special fair services between Frankfurt and Leipzig. Flights to Dusseldorf, Hamburg and Stuttgart are operated by Interflug.
5 December 1984
Graduate engineer Frank Beckmann succeeds Professor Günther O. Eser on Lufthansa’s Executive Board. He is responsible for sales, marketing, in-flight services and field organization.
6 December 1984
Berlin: The incorporation contracts for the foundation of “Lufthansa Informationstechnik und Software GmbH” (LIS) are signed. Lufthansa holds 51 percent of the nominal capital, which amounts to DM 1 million. The remaining 49 percent is held by “PSI Gesellschaft für Prozessteuerungs- und Informationssysteme mbH.” LIS primarily offers aviation-related computer programs.
12 December 1984
Lufthansa carries the 500,000th ton of freight in the course of a single year – a pallet of telephone equipment to Australia.
31 December 1984
The Boeing B707 makes its final flight for Lufthansa.
31 December 1984
Board member Professor Günther O. Eser leaves Lufthansa to become the IATA’s Director General.
Januar 1985
DLT increases its capital from DM 16 to 40 million, and Lufthansa raises its stake from 26 to 40 percent.
27 February 1985
On a flight from Frankfurt to Damascus, a Lufthansa Boeing B727 is forced to make an unscheduled landing in Vienna. The offenders, two deported asylum seekers, allow all passengers to leave the aircraft and can later be persuaded to surrender.
27 March 1985
Terror continues: The Lufthansa Boeing B727 “Ludwigshafen” is hijacked on a flight from Munich to Athens. The Syrian hijacker demands to be flown to Libya. In Istanbul passengers and cabin crew are released. Turkish police are able to overpower the offender.
17 July 1985
The Supervisory Board approves an order for 33 aircraft – Airbus A320s, Airbus A300-600s, Boeing B737-300s and Boeing B747-200s – plus options for 38 more.
2 September 1985
The 500th flight attendant training course since the founding of the new Lufthansa begins in Frankfurt.
1 January 1986
Captain Martin Gaebel succeeds Chief Pilot Werner Utter as head of the airline’s Flight Operations Department.
21 April 1986
The first women start their pilot’s training at Lufthansa: Evi Lausmann and Nicola Lunemann.
6 May 1986
Additional tanks allow nonstop operations with Boeing B747s to Bangkok and Hong Kong.
6 June 1986
A Lufthansa-acquired Junkers Ju 52 receives its airworthiness certificate after a comprehensive restoration and modernization, and is inscribed in the aircraft register.
13 June 1986
To maintain and operate its Junkers Ju 52, Lufthansa forms the “Deutsche Lufthansa Berlin Foundation.”
1 August 1986
Dr. Heiko Lange is named deputy member of Lufthansa’s Executive Board.
September 1986
The most comprehensive reorganization in Lufthansa’s history is approved: Decision-making processes are to be tightened and hierarchies to be flattened. Responsibilities for the development of Lufthansa services are focused into route management units and brought together under a single Marketing management in Frankfurt. Regional administrations replace district administrations. A restructuring of all stations aims at improving the quality of services they provide. This reorganization is completed in 1987.
15 October 1986
Lufthansa and VEBA OEL sign the memorandum of association for the incorporation of Aviation Fuel Services GmbH (AFS) with headquarters in Hamburg.
1 November 1986
A number of service improvements on European routes help raise standards in Economy Class to previous Business Class levels.
21 November 1986
At a ceremony in Frankfurt, the president of aircraft manufacturer Boeing, T.A. Wilson, presents Lufthansa with its 200th Boeing aircraft.
22 November 1986
Boeing presents the city of Berlin with a Boeing B707, which can now be admired at Tegel Airport as a museum aircraft carrying the traditional Lufthansa livery of the 1960s.
22 December 1986
The joint venture agreement to construct the Beijing Lufthansa Center is signed in Beijing. Lufthansa intends to offer consulting services and facilities to businesses without representation abroad.
Januar 1987
After more than 30 years in Lufthansa’s service, board member Gerhard Frühe takes his retirement. Dr. Heiko Lange succeeds him in the Human Resources Department and as Employee Relations Director.
15 January 1987
Starting signal for the construction of the Airbus A340: The Supervisory Board approves a preliminary contract with Airbus Industrie for deliveries of 15 Airbus A340s, plus 15 options.
end of January 1987
Flight engineer Michele Jett becomes the first woman to work in a Lufthansa cockpit when she starts flying on Boeing B727s.
29 March 1987
As the summer timetable goes into effect, Lufthansa changes the distribution of smoking and nonsmoking seats aboard its aircraft. Now 70 percent of all seats are reserved for nonsmokers. At the same time the new four-digit flight numbers come into effect.
1 April 1987
Lufthansa’s first scheduled flight to the US capital Washington, D.C.
20 June 1987
In Paris, Lufthansa, Air France, Iberia and SAS sign a framework agreement which clears the way for the development of “Amadeus,” a shared travel distribution system.
1 July 1987
The Supervisory Board appoints Dr. Klaus G. Schlede as the member of Lufthansa’s Executive Board heading the Finance Department. He succeeds Dr. Günther Becher in this position.
8 July 1987
Lufthansa’s 34th Annual General Meeting in Munich approves an increase of the share capital by DM 300 million to DM 1.2 billion.
21 December 1987
Lufthansa bundles its hotel participations into the “Lufthansa Hotelgesellschaft mbH” (LHG), which takes effect on January 1, 1988.
1 January 1988
Lufthansa’s wholly-owned subsidiary “Lufthansa Consulting GmbH” starts up operations in Cologne. Lufthansa takes a 24.5-percent share in “Cargolux Airlines Int. S.A.” in Luxembourg.
24 February 1988
Iberia and Lufthansa found the charter airline “Vuelos Internacionales de Vacaciones, S.A.” (Viva Air). They each hold a share of 48 percent; the remainder of shares is held by private Spanish investors.
3 March 1988
The Supervisory Board approves an order for 20 Boeing B737-300s and B737-500s, with options for a further 20 aircraft.
25 April 1988
The Siberian Clause in the German-Soviet Air Transport Agreement again allows flights across Siberia, and thus nonstop operations between Frankfurt and Tokyo.
26 May 1988
Lufthansa officially inaugurates its freight terminal in Los Angeles.
24 June 1988
Lufthansa and Interflug sign a contract covering maintenance and overhaul of the Airbus A310-300 fleet operated by Interflug. Starting in June 1989, Lufthansa supports Interflug with its introduction of the Airbus aircraft.
1 July 1988
Lufthansa introduces advance seat assignment on intercontinental routes in Economy Class as well.
19 August 1988
Berliner Flughafengesellschaft and Lufthansa found “Berliner Lufthansa Airport Service GmbH” (BLAS), which starts operations as the winter timetable goes into effect in late October.
9 September 1988
Air France and Lufthansa incorporate the French airline “EuroBerlin France” in Paris. Two months later the new carrier already flies exclusively between the Federal Republic and Berlin. Air France holds a share of 51 percent, while Lufthansa holds 49 percent of the share capital of 250,000 French francs.
27 October 1988
Amadeus One, the fist stage of the new electronic travel distribution system, goes online in Germany and is available on all START terminals.
November 1988
Incorporation of “Lufthansa Design Center GmbH” with headquarters in Cologne.
10 December 1988
Lufthansa takes delivery of its first Airbus A310-300.
1 April 1989
Graduate Engineer Jürgen Weber is named deputy member of Lufthansa’s Executive Board. On January 1, 1990 he succeeds Graduate Engineer Reinhardt Abraham as the board member responsible for the Engineering Department.
25 May 1989
The first Boeing B747-400 arrives at Frankfurt Airport.
12 June 1989
Lufthansa’s first twin-engined scheduled flight across the North Atlantic: Now Airbus A310-300s fly on the Frankfurt– Montreal–Philadelphia route under the rules for Extended Range Operations.
22 June 1989
Lufthansa and Deutsche Bundesbahn sign a joint declaration concerning cooperation between air and rail transport.
1 July 1989
Dr. Falko von Falkenhayn is appointed board member for the new department “Marketing and Product Development,” separating it at the board level from the Sales Department.
5 July 1989
The Annual General Meeting approves a capital increase by DM 310 million to DM 1.52 billion. As the Federal Republic does not exercise its subscription rights, the state’s shareholding declines to 52.62 percent.
10 August 1989
Lufthansa starts scheduled flights on the Frankfurt–Leipzig route.
11 September 1989
Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines incorporate the charter airline “SunExpress” with headquarters in Antalya; Lufthansa holds a share of 40 percent. SunExpress starts services on April 4, 1990, flying between Nuremberg and Antalya with Boeing B737s.
15 September 1989
Lufthansa and Air France sign a comprehensive cooperation agreement.
22 September 1989
The Supervisory Board approves the acquisition of 20 Airbus A321s and the placement of 20 options for this type of aircraft.
16 October 1989
The first Airbus A320 starts revenue services on Lufthansa routes.
29 October 1989
Short-haul flights now also feature three-class cabins: First, Business and Economy Class.
30 November 1989
Dr. Alfred Herrhausen, member of Lufthansa Supervisory Board and chairman of the Management Board of Deutsche Bank, is murdered by RAF terrorists.
28 December 1989
For the first time Lufthansa carries over 20 million passengers in a single year.
16 January 1990
The Supervisory Board approves the expansion of the intercontinental fleet by three Boeing B747-400s and one Airbus A310-300 starting in 1992, and the placing of options for a further 12 Boeing B747-400s. The continental fleet is also set to grow in 1992 by five Boeing B737-500s, three Airbus A320s and one A310.
7 February 1990
The subsidiary company “Lufthansa Airport and Ground Services GmbH” is incorporated in Frankfurt. It also acts as the holding for existing Lufthansa participations in handling and operating companies.
März 1990
Lufthansa announces its plan to invest DM 70 million in the construction of its own cargo terminal in Chicago. The facility is slated to start operations in 1992.
6 March 1990
On a tour of the German Democratic Republic, Lufthansa’s historic Junkers Ju 52 aircraft returns after almost 45 years to Dessau, the city where the Junkers aircraft company had its headquarters.
5 April 1990
Moscow: The “Airport Moscow/ Joint Venture Aeroflot-Lufthansa and Partners” is incorporated.
27 May 1990
The Lufthansa Airport Express now runs twice daily between Stuttgart and Frankfurt.
28 September 1990
A Lufthansa Boeing B747-400 is christened in festivities at Berlin’s Schönefeld Airport: By naming the Jumbo “Potsdam,” Lufthansa now starts carrying the names of cities in the former German Democratic Republic all around the globe.
1 October 1990
Jürgen Weber, Executive Board member in charge of Engineering, is named Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board. The Supervisory Board appoints Dr. Adrian von Dörnberg as deputy member of the Executive Board. On January 1, 1991 he will succeed Frank Beckmann as Board member in charge of Sales and Passenger Business.
October 2/3, 1990
Special Lufthansa flights carry members of the German parliament from Cologne/Bonn and Hamburg to Berlin to participate in the festivities marking German reunification.
28 October 1990
Lufthansa’s first scheduled flight to Berlin after 45 years: The airline now offers 289 weekly connections between Berlin Tegel and destinations in Germany, as well as 89 flights a week to key destinations in Europe. In addition, Lufthansa offers intercontinental connections to and from Berlin.
17 January 1991
As the Gulf War begins on January 17, Lufthansa cancels all flights to the region. Only flights to Dubai are maintained.
1 March 1991
The day after the end of the Gulf War, Lufthansa is the first European airline to resume flights to Tel Aviv. According to IATA calculations, the Gulf War cost airlines about DM 3 billion. Lufthansa lost revenues of DM 580 million.
14 May 1991
The Supervisory Board appoints Jürgen Weber (49) as successor to Heinz Ruhnau, who is to leave office at the end of August. Dr. Klaus Nittinger is named the new head of the Engineering division.
18 May 1991
Premiere of the Lufthansa art collection “Max Ernst – Prints and Books” at Stuttgart’s Württembergischer Kunstverein. Following in the wake of “Contemporary German Prints” and “Contemporary German Drawings,” this exhibition is the most important in terms of artistic quality and value that the airline has ever presented to the public.
3 July 1991
At the 38th Annual General Meeting in Leipzig, Chairman of the Supervisory Board Gerd Lausen announces the Board’s decision to name Dr. Klaus Schlede the new Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board, effective September 1.
31 August 1991
At an employees’ party in Berlin Schönefeld, Heinz Ruhnau is bid farewell by his successor, Jürgen Weber.
1 September 1991
Jürgen Weber takes up his new position as Chairman of the Executive Board.
4 October 1991
Airbus Industries presents the first European-made four-engine wide-body aircraft, the A340. As a “launching customer” Lufthansa has had a significant influence on the A340’s development. The airline has 15 A340s on firm order and holds options for another 15.
4 December 1991
The Supervisory Board approves the Executive Board’s proposal to restructure the strategic business segments “Passenger Business” and “Cargo.” Dr. Adrian von Dörnberg is named head of the division Passenger Business, and Wilhelm Althen is appointed General Manager for the business segment Cargo. Dr. Falko von Falkenhayn, previously head of Marketing, leaves the company at the end of the year.
7 January 1992
The Amadeus reservations system goes online. Only one week later, all 15,000 terminals across Lufthansa’s external organization are connected to the data center in Erding. By February, all Lufthansa offices worldwide are online. Beginning in May, the travel agencies follow suit, gaining access to the offerings of more than 300 airlines with 400,000 point-to-point connections and 2.3 million routings.
März 1992
Three renowned publications name Lufthansa “Airline of the Year” for 1991: The subscribers of “Travel Trade Gazette” TTG honor Lufthansa as “Top European Airline,” the readers of the magazine “Holiday” choose Lufthansa as their favorite airline, and in the magazine “Hotel and Food Service” frequent flyers vote Lufthansa into the number one position.
April 1992
As the summer timetable goes into effect, Tallinn, Wilna and Minsk join Lufthansa’s route network. The airline now flies to 201 destinations in 87 countries.
16 May 1992
During the night of May 16 to 17, Munich Airport moves from Riem to Erding. Movers shift 17,000 items. On May 17, at 6 a.m. sharp, a Lufthansa Jumbo, flight LH 6175, becomes the first commercial airliner to take off from this airport, for a “premiere” flight over the Alps.
2 July 1992
Lufthansa takes delivery of the first of ten Boeing B737-400s.
9 July 1992
Lufthansa becomes the sole shareholder of Lufthansa CityLine by acquiring the shares held by AGIV AG.
19 August 1992
The new Jumbo hangar at the Hamburg Base is officially inaugurated.
1 September 1992
The new “Continental Product” is launched following the reconfiguration of 113 Boeing B737s and Airbus A320s. No more First Class, but instead a significantly improved Business Class. Business Class lounges open in Munich and Frankfurt.
4 October 1992
The Boeing B727 registered D-ABKT takes off for its last flight with the Lufthansa crane on its horizontal stabilizer – from Frankfurt to the Engineering Base in Hamburg. Thus, after 28 years, the era of the “Europa Jet” comes to an end.
25 October 1992
Lufthansa Express – a new division for German domestic services – takes up operations on routes with high levels of demand. By shortening check-in times, introducing a new fare structure and increasing the flexibility of its offerings, Lufthansa aims to cut costs and thus attain cost coverage for domestic routes.
November 1992
As the winter timetable goes into effect, Lufthansa starts services to Cape Town, Windhuk and Alma-Ata.
19 January 1993
The Miles & More bonus program, launched on January 1, already counts 129,000 members with a total balance of 87.9 million flight miles.
17 March 1993
Dr. Ernst-Adrian von Dörnberg requests the Supervisory Board to release him from his responsibilities. He leaves the Executive Board on March 31.
28 March 1993
Turku, Finland, becomes a new destination with the introduction of the summer timetable.
22 April 1993
The Supervisory Board appoints Hemjö Klein to succeed Dr. von Dörnberg as Executive Board member in charge of the segment Passenger Business. He takes up his new office on June 1.
1 May 1993
German Cargo Services (GCS) is renamed “Lufthansa Cargo Airlines.” At the same time, the freighter fleets of Lufthansa Cargo and German Cargo are merged.
4 July 1993
Lufthansa operates its first flight from Frankfurt to Taipei, Taiwan (via Bangkok). For transport policy reasons, the Boeing B747-400 carries the Condor logo.
7 July 1993
During the 40th Annual General Meeting, Jürgen Weber presents his vision of Lufthansa 2000 “as a streamlined, high-performance company with a global presence, one that again flies profitably.”
1 August 1993
The Supervisory Board appoints Dr. Karl-Friedrich Rausch as the new Managing Director of Lufthansa CityLine. Headquarters are in Cologne, where Lufthansa CityLine has established its operational base.
16 August 1993
Asmara, Eritrea becomes a Lufthansa destination.
24 September 1993
A new air transport agreement between Germany and the USA is signed in Bonn.
4 October 1993
In Frankfurt, Jürgen Weber and Stephen M. Wolf sign an agreement on a comprehensive cooperation between Lufthansa and United Airlines.
21 October 1993
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gives Lufthansa its award for protecting the ozone layer. Lufthansa became the first airline worldwide to eliminate ozone-destroying chemicals in its aircraft maintenance and overhaul.
Januar 1994
Lufthansa and the Lufthansa Partner Offices hold 50 percent each in the newly founded “City Center GmbH,” which currently operates 165 Lufthansa City and Travel Teams.
Januar 1994
By acquiring a 25-percent share in the US airline caterer “Sky Chefs,” LSG becomes one of the world’s largest airline catering companies – measured by revenues it is even the largest.
27 January 1994
Lufthansa takes delivery of the first of the 20 Airbus A321s it has on firm order.
März 1994
With the start of the summer timetable, Lufthansa now flies to Shanghai, Ekaterinburg (Urals) and Novosibirsk (Siberia).
April 1994
The first automatic check-in stations become operational.
1 June 1994
Jürgen Weber and David Coltman, Vice President Atlantic Division at United Airlines, see off the two airlines’ first code-share flights: LH 444 to Atlanta and UA 941 to Chicago.
5 July 1994
Gerhard Höltje, long-standing Executive Board member and “intellectual father” of the Boeing B737, dies shortly before his 87th birthday.
6 July 1994
During the 41st Annual General Meeting Jürgen Weber announces that for the first time in five years Lufthansa is in the profit zone for the first six months of the year – by about DM 100 million before taxes.
1 December 1994
A festive roll-in of the DC-10 registered D-ADLO ends the era of this type of aircraft at Lufthansa after more than 20 years. A fleet of up to eleven DC-10s carried more than 42 million Lufthansa passengers without accident.
Februar 1995
By naming Lufthansa “Airline of the Year 1994,” aviation magazine “Air Transport World” bestows this honor on the airline for the second time. The award acknowledges the Group’s successful restructuring and its adaptation to the challenges within the airline industry.
März 1995
Baku (Azerbaijan) and Odessa (Ukraine) become new destinations in the summer timetable 1995.
27 March 1995
Lufthansa’s first Environmental Report documents a reduction in fuel consumption to 5.5 liters per 100 passenger kilometers on average, despite a 6.3-percent increase in the number of passengers carried. The share of “quiet” aircraft is set to increase this year from 95.6 percent to 98 percent, which puts Lufthansa at the head of its class in environmental issues as well.
11 May 1995
In Copenhagen, Jürgen Weber and Jan Stenberg, CEO of SAS, sign a cooperation agreement that aims at creating Europe’s largest and most comprehensive route network.
Oktober 1995
On October 29, with the beginning of the winter timetable 1995/96, Lufthansa takes up joint services with Thai Airways. Lima (Peru) and Quito (Ecuador) are again served by Lufthansa’s own aircraft. Montreal and Sydney are taken off the list of Lufthansa destinations.
1 November 1995
Reinhardt Abraham, member of Lufthansa’s Executive Board for many years, dies in Seeheim at the age of 66.
15 December 1995
The cooperation agreement between South African Airways and Lufthansa is signed.
Januar 1996
New destinations in the summer timetable: Ashgabat, Nizhniy Novgorod and Samara.
29 March 1996
40 years of Condor: By commissioning the world’s largest airborne work of art, Condor gives its passengers and employees an eye-catching birthday pres_ent. The “Rizzi Bird,” a Boeing B757 painted with motives created by New York-based artist James Rizzi, is set to be in the limelight for the duration of the jubilee year.
30 April 1996
InfoFlyway, Lufthansa’s Internet presence, goes online at www.lufthansa.com, offering schedules, information, the SkyShop and a Chat Café.
21 May 1996
Lufthansa and United Airlines get the green light to further expand their alliance, when the US Department of Transportation grants them antitrust immunity.
13 June 1996
Lufthansa and Boeing jointly create the Reinhardt Abraham Scholarship. It aims to support students and graduates in aviation technology and civil aviation at the Technical University Berlin.
25 July 1996
Festive roll-in of the first Airbus A319 at Lufthansa, christened after Frankfurt an der Oder.
September 1996
Condor becomes the first customer for the Boeing B757-300.
September 1996
Lufthansa Cargo complements its long-haul freighter fleet by adding five MD-11Fs.
1 November 1996
Flying without a ticket: As of today Lufthansa becomes Germany’s first airline to introduce ticketless travel for all D308passengers on domestic routes.
11 November 1996
Warning strike by Lufthansa employees in the DAG union. They demand an improved offer in comparison with the collective bargaining agreement reached with the ÖTV union. 21 German and 14 European flights have to be canceled.
Dezember 1996
Shortly before year-end, the Federal Government sells its share of 35.7 percent in Lufthansa’s equity capital to the Federal Republic’s own Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW). The Bonn government uses the revenues of about DM 2 billion to reduce its budget deficit.
12 December 1996
The second warning strike organized by DAG causes an estimated loss of DM 20 million. Lufthansa’s Executive Board asserts that there is no scope for an agreement better than that signed with ÖTV.
1 January 1997
Lufthansa Flight Training is incorporated as a freestanding “GmbH,” a company with limited liability.
Januar 1997
With the introduction of the summer timetable 1997, two new destinations join Lufthansa’s route network: Perm and Kazan, both in the former Soviet Union.
März 1997
25 years of Jumbo freighters at Lufthansa: The airline has operated the all-cargo version of the world’s largest standard aircraft since 1972.
19 March 1997
Lufthansa CityLine transfers its last Fokker 50 aircraft to our partner Contact Air. This ends the era of propeller-driven aircraft at Lufthansa.
1 April 1997
Europe is now a Single Market: All European airlines can market their flights in all EU countries without any restrictions.
14 May 1997
The “Star Alliance” is founded in Frankfurt. It is the first truly global airline alliance: Together, its founding members – Air Canada, SAS, Thai Airways International, United Airlines and Lufthansa – serve 578 cities in 106 countries and operate 1,334 aircraft.
September 1997
Services to Beirut are resumed as the winter timetable 1997/98 goes into effect.
17 September 1997
Lufthansa and Karstadt AG combine their touristic activities in a joint holding. Subject to approval by Germany’s Federal Cartel Office, the Supervisory Boards of both companies vote to incorporate “C&N Condor Neckermann Touristik AG.”
13 October 1997
Lufthansa’s privatization is complete: On the first day of trading the 143 million shares that have now passed into the possession of private or institutional investors, Jürgen Weber pronounced the result of the placement on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange a resounding vote of confidence from investors, “who count on the performance of our employees and concepts.”
22 October 1997
VARIG is welcomed as a new member in the Star Alliance. With its flights to all important destinations in South America, VARIG gives customers throughout the Alliance access to that continent.
24 November 1997
Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines agree on a far-reaching cooperation including the operation of codeshare flights.
Dezember 1997
Initial steps toward a global air cargo alliance: Lufthansa Cargo, United Airlines, VARIG, Thai Airways International and Air Canada intend to cooperate more closely in the air freight business.
1 January 1998
C&N Touristik AG kicks off the starting blocks.
5 February 1998
Dr. Herbert Culmann, former Chairman of Lufthansa’s Executive Board, dies at the age of 76.
März 1998
“Condor Berlin GmbH” launches its summer flight program with a fleet of brand-new Airbus A320s. Three aircraft will be available in April; the remaining three are expected in the course of the year.
April 1998
The 1,000th training course for flight attendants begins.
1 April 1998
Worldwide premiere of shared check-in desks for all Star Alliance partners at Frankfurt Airport. In Hall B, the global alliance now has a unified presence on the ground as well.
6 May 1998
“Rotkäppchen Service” (“Little Red Riding Hood”) turns 30: This service, providing extra attention for passengers in need of special assistance, was created in 1968.
Juni 1998
The “Lufthansa School of Business” is founded: It now combines all activities and initiatives that concern management and organizational development on the corporate level at Lufthansa. It follows the example of “corporate universities” in the USA and England.
Juni 1998
Annual General Meeting 1998 – “Fit for the 21st century”: This year’s goal is a pretax profit that “breaks through the sound barrier” of DM 2 billion, as Jürgen Weber announces during the AGM in Hamburg.
Juli 1998
Lufthansa Cargo begins revenue service with its first of three Boeing MD-11 freighters. The MD-11F is the world’s most efficient and environmentally-compatible wide-body cargo aircraft.
Juli 1998
Lufthansa Commercial Holding GmbH (LCH) creates a strategic business unit for Information Technology (IT).
August 1998
A unique service from Lufthansa Technik: Airline Support Teams repair aircraft engines within hours at any location around the world.
23 August 1998
Female pilots celebrate their 10-year anniversary at Lufthansa: The first two women copilots started flying for Lufthansa in 1988. The number of women pilots has since risen to 44, but remains at low levels in comparison with their almost 3,000 male colleagues.
September 1998
The Star Alliance gets a competitor: British Airways and American Airlines intend to launch the “oneworld” alliance at the start of 1999. Together with partners such as Canadian Airlines, Qantas and Cathay Pacific, BA and AA want to gain the leading edge over the Star Alliance grouped around Lufthansa.
1 September 1998
Dr. Karl-Ludwig Kley joins the Executive Board as Chief Financial Officer.
16 September 1998
An investment of US$ 2.3 billion in the expansion of the fleet: Orders are placed for 42 aircraft to be delivered to Lufthansa Passenger Airline, Lufthansa CityLine and Lufthansa Cargo starting in 2000.
Dezember 1998
Lufthansa is being prepared for the change into a “Euro company”: From January 1999, all Group companies will be able to account for all business activities both in their respective local currencies and in Euros.
Januar 1999
Transformation from an airline into a leading global Aviation Group. Its strategic orientation: integrated efforts among all employees in its seven strategic business segments Passenger Business, Logistics, MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul), Catering, Leisure Travel, IT Services and Ground Services. Its goal: leading positions in the world markets for all seven.
Februar 1999
ETIX, electronic tickets, are offered on German routes at more favorable fares than traditional paper tickets.
9 February 1999
Condor takes delivery of two of the 13 Boeing B757-300s it has on order.
28 March 1999
Ansett Australia and Air New Zealand are now official members of the Star Alliance.
April 1999
The Supervisory Board approves the acquisition of 60 Fairchild Dornier 728 aircraft.
3 May 1999
The Star Alliance partners sign a joint Environmental Declaration. Now in their third year of shared operations, all member airlines agree to keep the environmental impact from their activities as low as possible. The number of airlines in the Star Alliance is set to rise to nine in October.
16 June 1999
Annual General Meeting 1999: Key topics include the Group’s performance in 1998 and the delays related to air traffic control. In this second context, the approval by the state of Hesse to expand Frankfurt Airport is welcomed.
19 July 1999
The first City Star Office (CSO) opens in Paris. It offers services for all Star Alliance partners under one roof.
22 September 1999
Lufthansa acquires a share in Air Dolomiti, Italy’s leading privately-held regional airline.
Oktober 1999
New in the fleet: the Airbus A320-200. Outwardly indistinguishable from A321-100, this new model features an increased maximum takeoff weight and optimized performance – and that means an improved payload-range ratio.
15 October 1999
All Nippon Airways is welcomed as the Star Alliance’s ninth member.
Dezember 1999
Lufthansa becomes a World Partner of EXPO 2000 in Hanover. The Boeing B747-400 D-ABVK “Hanover” now features the EXPO logo.
1 January 2000
Wolfgang Mayrhuber is appointed member of the Executive Board of the Lufthansa Group. From 1994 onwards, he had guided Lufthansa Technik AG as that company’s Chairman of the Executive Board.
1 January 2000
A smooth flight right across the millennium line: Thanks to comprehensive Y2K checks, all data processing systems handle the dreaded date change without a hitch.
Februar 2000
Airline of the Year 2000: The renowned aviation magazine “Air Transport World” pays tribute to Lufthansa for its “success in the rough climate of international competition.”
23 February 2000
Die Austrian Airlines Group (mit Tyrolean und Lauda Air) tritt der Star Alliance bei. Mit British Midland vereinbart Lufthansa Gemeinschaftsflüge, die das Europanetz verdichten.
April 2000
Postal alliance in the area of air freight: “Aerologic GmbH” is the name of the new company that is to combine the interests of Lufthansa Cargo and Deutsche Post.
7 April 2000
Singapore Airlines becomes the 11th member of the Star Alliance.
Mai 2000
Pretax profit of nearly DM 2 billion – Lufthansa is fit for the 21st century: Jürgen Weber presents the record result for the Financial Year 1999 at the airline’s accounts press conference.
Juni 2000
Under the motto “Together in a moving world,” Lufthansa pres_ents itself as an Aviation Group, with all its business segments, at the EXPO 2000 in Hanover.
26 June 2000
British Midland and Mexicana join the Star Alliance: At their conference in Vienna, the 13 members approve a more efficient organization, headed by a Chief Executive Officer and a Deputy.
27 June 2000
Dr. Heiko Lange, Employee Relations Director of the Lufthansa Group, takes his retirement. As a member of the Executive Board, Lange headed the Human Resources Division from August 1986.
August 2000
Stefan Lauer is named new head of Human Resources, taking over the responsibilities of Dr. Heiko Lange.
19 August 2000
Green light for the “Northwest Variation”: This is the decision reached by Hessia’s Minister President Roland Koch and the CDU-FDP faction in the state parliament concerning the expansion of Frankfurt Airport.
20 September 2000
Jürgen Weber is to remain Chief Executive Officer until 2003: His mandate on Lufthansa’s Exective Board is extended as an acknowledgment of his outstanding achievements for the Group.
Oktober 2000
Code-share flights on the routes from Frankfurt to Beijing and Shanghai: The cooperation with Air China begins with the introduction of the winter timetable.
4 October 2000
Lufthansa’s second call center for Germany opens in Berlin: It represents an investment of DM 5 million in future-oriented technology and creates 300 new jobs.
November 2000
The “Online Travel Portal” is established: Lufthansa operates this new Internet travel site together with eight other leading European airlines.
Dezember 2000
Compensation and clarification: Following the decision of Lufthansa’s Executive Board in November 1999 to participate in the fund compensating victims of forced labor under the Nazi regime, Lufthansa commissions an academic investigation entitled “Lufthansa and its Foreign Workers during World War II.”
Januar 2001
Miles & More welcomes its 5-millionth member. New perspectives open up for this frequent flyer program as Germany’s “rebate law” is repealed.
1 January 2001
Wolfgang Mayrhuber assumes full responsibility for Lufthansa’s Passenger Business. He is named Chief Executive, Passenger Airlines, assuming responsibility for Lufthansa’s scheduled passenger business.
15 January 2001
Lufthansa commemorates the company’s 75th anniversary with a New Year’s concert in Berlin.
März 2001
The pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) uses industrial action to underscore its demands. An initial warning strike on March 28 is followed by more strikes in May. Former federal minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher is named as arbitrator and manages to conclude negotiations successfully on June 8. A pay settlement covering ground and cabin staff had already been signed on March 24.
25 March 2001
Lufthansa and Eurowings jointly operate about 1,500 weekly code-share flights on 39 German and European routes.
Mai 2001
Ban on the carriage of animals caught in the wild: In the area of animal and species protection, Lufthansa Cargo agrees to implement a comprehensive catalogue of measures. These measures aim at ensuring that wild animals are transported by air only when they are to be released in natural habitats, they are part of scientifically managed breeding programs or their lives depend on it.
27 June 2001
C&N Touristik AG becomes Thomas Cook AG, Germany’s second-largest tourism group. The new company counts 30,000 employees, 4,000 travel agencies, 73,000 hotel beds and 85 modern aircraft around the world.
Juli 2001
Alliances: The European competition authority in Brussels approves the cooperation between Lufthansa, British Midland and SAS. This new alliance is set to expand its market presence on domestic routes in the UK and on routes between Britain and Spain as well as Britain and Italy.
11 September 2001
“September 11” enters the annals of history as a black day – in aviation as well. Four passenger aircraft operated by American Airlines and United Airlines are hijacked on the morning of September 11 and crash on the East Coast of the USA. Two of these aircraft smash into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York, subsequently causing the buildings to collapse. These acts of terrorism trigger mourning and shock worldwide. Air transport is thrown into profound crisis. Given the difficult economic situation, Lufthansa agrees with the unions Verdi and Vereinigung Cockpit on comprehensive measures to limit personnel costs for ground personnel, cabin and cockpit crews. This includes a hiring freeze, a reduction of overtime and accumulated vacation days, a cutback in additional flying hours for flying personnel and an increase in available part-time models and unpaid leave.
November 2001
Trust: Lufthansa inserts advertise_ments in major German daily newspapers featuring well-known political and business personalities who express their trust in air transport in general and in Lufthansa in particular.
Dezember 2001
Future: Following a recommendation by Lufthansa’s Executive Board, the company’s Supervisory Boards approves an order for 15 Airbus A380-800 wide-body aircraft.
Januar 2002
After ordering 15 Airbus A380s shortly before the end of 2001, Lufthansa places a further order with Airbus Industries, this time for ten Airbus A330-300s. Another newcomer to the Lufthansa fleet will be the A340-600, the world’s longest passenger aircraft.
Januar 2002
The switch to the “Euro” on January 1 passes without a problem at Lufthansa. All systems function impeccably.
Januar 2002
Within just a few months, the latest generation of Lufthansa uniforms are distributed to about 25,000 employees working on the ground, in the cabins and in the cockpits. The new outfits blend elegance and classical touches with a contemporary look.
11 March 2002
The Lufthansa Supervisory Board elects Wolfgang Mayrhuber as Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board. Thereby, the Supervisory Board gives a clear signal concerning the succession of Jürgen Weber, due to step down in 2003.
1 April 2002
“WOW” is the name of a three-way cargo alliance between Lufthansa Cargo, SAS Cargo and Singapore Airlines Cargo. On July 5, Japan Airlines Cargo becomes the alliance’s fourth member.
Mai 2002
Eurowings Luftverkehrs AG announces its entry into the market segment of so-called “no-frills airlines.” Regional carrier Eurowings will use the brand name “Germanwings” for this venture, which is to be its second source of revenues.
14 May 2002
The world’s most successful airline linkup, the Star Alliance, celebrates its fifth anniversary. Soon thereafter, on June 1, the Alliance’s members approve the inclusion of carriers Asiana, LOT and Spanair.
August 2002
A new AIRail route: Following successful operations on the Stuttgart–Frankfurt route, partners Lufthansa, Deutsche Bahn AG and Fraport AG launch a new rail link: Cologne–Frankfurt.
September 2002
1,000 thanks to 1,000 helpers: In cooperation with Thomas Cook AG and Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, three special flights are scheduled to take 1,000 emergency aid workers to Mallorca for a relaxing weekend. These helpers had worked hard during the severe flooding of the river Elbe the month before.
November 2002
World premiere: On a test flight from Frankfurt to Washington with the Lufthansa Boeing B747-400 “Sachsen-Anhalt,” Lufthansa project members and “Connexion by Boeing” team members successfully send the first e-mail ever from an airborne aircraft.
2 December 2002
Cornerstone ceremony for our new administration building, the Lufthansa Aviation Center, in Frankfurt.
Januar 2003
Lufthansa joins the “UN Global Compact.” Its goal is a voluntary covenant between corporations, organizations and institutions on nine principles covering the areas of environmental protection, labor standards and human rights.
Januar 2003
Miles & More celebrates its 10th anniversary: New partners and awards make Lufthansa’s frequent flyer program even more attractive.
15 January 2003
For the first time, the broadband Internet access FlyNet is tested comprehensively under routine conditions on scheduled flights between Frankfurt and Washington aboard the Lufthansa Boeing B747-400 “Sachsen-Anhalt.” Lufthansa now offers visitors to its lounges fast wireless Internet access. Lufthansa is the world’s first large international airline to equip all its 55 airport lounges at 30 destinations with state-of-the-art “Wireless Local Area Network” (WLAN) technology.
Februar 2003
In February, the effects of the respiratory disease SARS, the war in Iraq and the stagnating economy force the Executive Board to approve a second round of aircraft groundings, following those in 2001, and an immediate hiring freeze. In April, additional measures are introduced to secure the company’s financial performance. These include short-time work for cabin personnel and a work-time reduction for ground personnel to 35 hours a week. These shortened working hours remain in force until August 31.
20 March 2003
At his final accounts press conference, Jürgen Weber presents the Group’s results for Financial Year 2002, which are excellent when compared to the industry’s performance.
25 March 2003
Wolfgang Mayrhuber announces further streamlining of the Group’s structure: From now on, there will be only three instead of four members of the Executive Board, while the number of divisions of the Business Segment Passenger Airlines is reduced from five to four.
Mai 2003
35 years of “Rotkäppchen” (“Little Red Riding Hood Service”): In May 1968, Lufthansa started offering assistance to passengers with special needs and children traveling on their own, while departing, arriving or transiting at Frankfurt Airport.
Juni 2003
Under the umbrella of the new “Lufthansa Regional” brand, partner airlines Air Dolomiti, Augsburg Airways, Contact Air, Eurowings and Lufthansa CityLine reorganize their cooperation with Lufthansa.
18 June 2003
New top management: At the Annual General Meeting, Jürgen Weber changes over to the Supervisory Board. He is succeeded as CEO by Wolfgang Mayrhuber. At an event attended by about 1,500 employees on June 23 in Frankfurt, the company’s “keys” are handed over symbolically.
27 June 2003
On June 27, just under three and a half years after construction began, the new Terminal 2 at Munich Airport is opened with a festive ceremony. Lufthansa is the first airline to assume partial responsibility for planning, financing, construction and operation of a passenger terminal in Germany. Costing around V 1.2 billion, the building doubles the capacity of Munich Airport to 50 million passengers a year.
Juli 2003
On July 10, the world’s largest solar power-generation system located at a civil airport is inaugurated on the roof of Terminal 2 in Munich.
22 September 2003
22 September Lufthansa’s work for environmental protection and sustainability is again acknowledged by Zurich-based Sustainable Asset Management Indexes GmbH (SAM). SAM awards the airline the top position in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index World (DJSI) and the pan-European Dow Jones Sustainability Index STOXX.
29 September 2003
Germany’s “Air Transport Initiative” starts up its work. At a meeting in Berlin, the representatives of airlines, airports and government agencies reiterate their intention to strengthen Germany’s attractiveness as a location for air transport.
Oktober 2003
At a press conference held in October at Frankfurt Airport, CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber and VP Marketing and Sales Thierry Antinori unveil the top-quality products featured in the new Business Class. These include the new multifunctional seat (“PrivateBed”) and the improved in-flight entertainment system.
16 January 2004
Wolfgang Mayrhuber is among the twelve leaders from business and science invited by Chancellor Gerhard Schröder to the Federal Chancellery to work together in the initiative “Partners for Innovation.”
Februar 2004
Wolfgang Mayrhuber receives the “Vernon A. Walters Award” for his commitment to German-American partnership. This prize is bestowed by the organization “Atlantik-Brücke” in commemoration of former US ambassador to Germany, Vernon A. Walters.
10 February 2004
The new Patient Transport Compartment (PTC) now allows intensive patient care during flight. This service is unique worldwide and available on almost all Lufthansa long-haul flights.
3 March 2004
More comfort, greater environmental compatibility and improved economic efficiency are the hallmarks of the first Lufthansa Airbus A330-300, which the airline takes delivery of on this day. Ten aircraft of this type are to be delivered by the end of 2005. On March 16, this first A330-300 starts scheduled service.
28 March 2004
A number of innovations are introduced in the framework of the project “Future Continental.” Keeping the middle seat in Business Class vacant now enables passengers to enjoy enhanced private space, freedom of movement and storage space. The in-flight service concept on European routes is completely reviewed and new tableware is introduced in Business Class.
3 April 2004
Lufthansa Cargo’s new round-the-world freighter service takes off twice a week from Frankfurt and heads east. Operated with a Boeing MD-11F, this flight is the international air cargo industry’s fastest around-the-globe service.
19 April 2004
A biometrics test begins in Frankfurt and is to conclude on August 6. 800 Lufthansa employees test three biometrical procedures – to identify finger, face and iris characteristics – for their usefulness in practical applications. With this project, Lufthansa supports an initiative of Germany’s Federal Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Federal Office for Information Security.
17 May 2004
Lufthansa FlyNet makes its debut under routine conditions on a flight from Munich to Los Angeles. This makes Lufthansa the first airline worldwide to offer fast broadband Internet access, which passengers can use during flights with their laptop computers and other mobile devices by means of Wireless LAN.
24 May 2004
Under the motto “Lufthansa is added value,” the airline announces a 20-percent increase in capital. Shareholders are offered subscription rights at a ratio of 5:1; the subscription price is V 9.85 a share.
1 June 2004
Lufthansa and United Airlines celebrate the ten-year anniversary of their cooperation. What started with 40 jointly operated flights a day has since evolved into more than 600 daily code-share flights worldwide.
18 June 2004
The Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music in London celebrates its 20th anniversary. Under the motto “Behind the Mask – Music for Commedia and Carnival,” 12 concerts take place in St. John’s and Westminster Abbey.
1 August 2004
Ameco Beijing, the joint venture of Lufthansa and Air China, is to be continued for another 25 years. China’s Ministry of Economics approves the new joint-venture contract.
4 October 2004
Blue1, a subsidiary of Scandinavian Airlines, becomes the first regional carrier to join the Star Alliance. Blue1’s membership strengthens the Alliance’s position in the Finnish market.
Dezember 2004
2004 sees the start of transferring the provisions for pensions into a securities investment fund. About V 550 million is to be paid into the fund annually for a period of 10 to 15 years. An external trust company administers the fund’s assets in a fiduciary and appropriated manner.
1 December 2004
The Lufthansa First Class Terminal and the two new First Class Lounges are opened in Frankfurt. Here, Lufthansa passengers traveling on a First Class ticket and members of the HON Circle are offered the highest level of service and individual care.
15 December 2004
Croatia Airlines and Adria Airways become new regional members in the Star Alliance. They are to strengthen the Alliance’s offerings in the markets of southeastern Europe.
end of December 2004
In 2004, Lufthansa carried more than 50 million passengers for the first time – a record in the company’s history.
7 January 2005
In a video message and an open letter, Wolfgang Mayrhuber appeals to all Lufthansa employees and asks them to donate one work hour each to help the victims of the tsunami catastrophe in Asia. The monetary equivalent value of this donated work time is to be given to the HelpAlliance.
17 January 2005
The musical start of the new year also reflects the tragic flood disaster. Opening the Lufthansa New Year’s Concert, Wolfgang Mayrhuber reminds the audience of the victims, which also include Lufthansa customers, employees and their relatives. The RIAS Youth Orchestra plays a program of solemn music by Tchaikowsky and Mozart.
18 January 2005
A new chapter of aviation has begun. The world’s largest civil aircraft, the Airbus A380, is presented to the public at the rollout ceremony in Toulouse.
21 January 2005
The Prime Minister of the state of Hessia, Roland Koch, inaugurates the European Center for Aviation Development (ECAD) in Darmstadt. This scientific research institution is to develop into a competency center for all issues concerning the development of aviation.
31 January 2005
The in-company fundraising drive for the victims of the tsunami in Asia is concluded. 5,237 Lufthansa employees have donated a total of 13,841 hours, which is equivalent to about V 300,000. Lufthansa increases this amount to V 1 million.
Februar 2005
Lufthansa publishes its new summer timetable: 177 cities in 73 countries are served weekly with 12,700 flights. Hyderabad, India, and Port Harcourt, Nigeria, are new Lufthansa destinations.
1 March 2005
Miles & More reaches a membership of ten million. The frequent flyer programme is growing at an annual rate of 20 per cent and is one of the most successful customer loyalty programmes in the world.
22 March 2005
The Lufthansa Supervisory Board and the Board of Directors of SWISS approve the integration of SWISS in the Lufthansa Group. SWISS remains a largely autonomous airline based in Switzerland with its own fleet.
24 March 2005
Lufthansa launches “JetFriends”, a club for kids and teens. It has its own website where information about the Lufthansa Group is presented in a child-friendly way.
27 March 2005
The A380 takes off on its maiden flight. Initial tests are carried out on the flight, which lasts for four hours.
29 March 2005
“Lufthansa Private Jet” gives passengers the opportunity of flying quickly and individually to Lufthansa’s Munich hub in a private jet.
1 April 2005
Lufthansa celebrates the 50th anniversary of the “new” Lufthansa on 1 April 1955. An Airbus A321 is repainted especially for the occasion as a “retro jet” in the traditional Lufthansa livery of the early 1960s.
17 May 2005
Lufthansa becomes “Official partner of the German Football Association”. In the years ahead, the teams and members of the German Football Association will fly to matches with Lufthansa.
16 August 2005
In Berlin, Lufthansa tests barcode check-in and barcode boarding on routes to Frankfurt until the end of October.
22 September 2005
Wolfgang Mayrhuber and Dr Klaus Schlede are elected to the Board of Directors of SWISS. At the same time, the Board of Directors is reduced from eight to five members.
15 October 2005
Lufthansa’s flight capacity from Hamburg is expanded by 40 per cent to a total of 23 direct connections in Germany and Europe. As part of the reorganisation of decentralised traffic, Lufthansa stations seven Boeing 737-300s in Hamburg to serve the new routes.
29 October 2005
Premiere for the Airbus A380 in Frankfurt. The world’s largest passenger jet lands at the Lufthansa base in Frankfurt, three years before it is planned to enter service there. It is the first time that the aircraft with serial number 004 is put through its paces at an international airport.
30 October 2005
At the beginning of the winter flight timetable, Lufthansa and SWISS fly local traffic routes as code-shares. Passengers at the hubs in Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich, as well as at Basel and Geneva, now check in at the same desks.
11 November 2005
Lufthansa announces its intention to acquire a majority of voting shares at Eurowings. An agreement with the majority shareholder Albrecht Knauf provides for his 51 per cent share of voting rights in Eurowings to be transferred to Lufthansa. Lufthansa maintains its 49 per cent stake in the common shares, however.
7 December 2005
The Supervisory Board of Lufthansa approves the purchase of twelve CRJ900s, an 84-seater, short-haul aircraft.
9 January 2006
Lufthansa adds 56 new weekly connections in Düsseldorf. Lufthansa intends to grow faster in Düsseldorf than elsewhere in 2006.
18 January 2006
Germanwings is the first low-cost airline in Europe to launch a frequent flyer programme, the Boomerang Club. Registration takes place online for a one-off fee of four euros.
Februar 2006
Installation of the new Economy seats begins for the European fleet. The whole cabin gets a modern new outfit to go with the high-quality leather seats in muted colours. Fuel consumption is reduced thanks to the lightweight new seats.
26 March 2006
The A380 passes the evacuation test for approval by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The crew of 20 Lufthansa staff evacuates 853 passengers in 78 seconds.
1 April 2006
In the course of integrating SWISS, its frequent flyer programme SWISS Travel Club is merged with Miles & More. SWISS will represent Miles & More in Switzerland and provide services to the members and partners there.
7 April 2006
SWISS joins the Star Alliance. A ceremony is held in Zurich to welcome the 17th member of the alliance.
2 May 2006
German Chancellor Angela Merkel lays the cornerstone for N3 Engine Overhaul Services in Arnstadt, Thuringia. 500 new jobs are to be created at the engine overhaul centre, a joint venture between Lufthansa Technik and Rolls-Royce.
9 June 2006
The 18th football World Cup takes place in Germany. 50 aircraft from the Lufthansa fleet are decorated with a football nose cone. They carry the World Cup from Germany out into the world.
18 July 2006
The new Group headquarters are officially opened at Frankfurt Airport. The Lufthansa Aviation Center is designed by star architect Christoph Ingenhoven and stands out for its transparency and energy efficiency.
15 August 2006
In Shenzhen, the launch of Jade Cargo International, a cargo airline founded by Lufthansa Cargo, Shenzhen Airlines and DEG, is celebrated with a traditional dragon dance and water fountains.
4 September 2006
An A380 takes off for a long-haul flight with passengers for the first time. Lufthansa provides the 23 cabin crew members for this test flight.
22 September 2006
Lufthansa passengers are now able to choose their seat for the flight from their computer at home or work and to print their boarding pass themselves. The boarding pass has a 2D bar code and is simply held under a scanner before boarding.
6 October 2006
Lufthansa Flight Training inaugurates a simulator centre in Vienna. The new building has room for four full-flight simulators.
29 October 2006
From the start of the winter flight timetable, the neighbouring seat in Business Class is kept free on all flights with the Lufthansa regional fleet. This service is offered on all domestic and European routes from Lufthansa.
6 December 2006
The Lufthansa Supervisory Board approves the purchase of 20 Boeing 747-8I wide-bodied jets. This makes Lufthansa the launch customer for the passenger version of this latest edition of the legendary Jumbo Jet. On the very same day, the order for seven Airbus A340-600s is approved.
19 January 2007
Lufthansa is the official carrier for the Men’s Handball World Championship taking place in Germany until 4 February.
20 February 2007
LSG Sky Chefs signs a joint venture agreement with China National Aviation Group Ltd to set up a production facility for frozen meals in Qingdao.
17 March 2007
Lufthansa carries out the first route-proving flights with the A380. The manufacturer’s test plane is equipped with a complete passenger cabin and makes route-proving flights from Frankfurt to New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Hong Kong. The flights conclude with a short detour to the Lufthansa hub in Munich.
25 March 2007
The code-share agreement with Turkish Airlines comes into effect. The positive effects include coordinated flight timetables and cooperation in frequent flyer programmes.
1 April 2007
Electronic tickets only are issued for domestic flights in Germany.
22 May 2007
Lufthansa Technik delivers its first VIP aircraft, an A318 Elite.
14 June 2007
Lufthansa and Egypt Air sign a code-share agreement in Cairo.
1 July 2007
The integration of SWISS is complete. Lufthansa acquires all the shares in Swiss International Air Lines AG via AirTrust.
14 August 2007
The new First Class Lounge is opened in Munich. Lufthansa First Class customers and HON-Circle members can enjoy a gourmet restaurant, a bar, working areas, a cigar lounge and exclusive bathrooms in the 860-square-metre lounge, which extends over two floors.
17 September 2007
By partnering with the Swiss non-profit organisation MyClimate, Lufthansa and SWISS give their passengers the opportunity to donate voluntary carbon offsets for each kilometre flown.
20 September 2007
Lufthansa Cargo and DHL Express announce the establishment of a joint cargo airline in Leipzig.
28 October 2007
Between Frankfurt and New York there is now a connection with a Boeing 737 equipped as a pure business jet.
5 November 2007
Lufthansa expands its AIRail capacity between Frankfurt Airport and the main stations in Stuttgart and Cologne, while establishing a new departure and arrival station at Siegburg.
Dezember 2007
Deutsche Lufthansa Berlin Stiftung (DLBS) acquires three Lockheed L-1649A Super Stars. In the late 1950s, this aircraft was Lufthansa’s flagship on long-haul routes. One of these three Super Stars is to be restored to full working order in the USA and will be flown in future by DLBS as a legacy aircraft.
11 January 2008
The A380 maintenance hangar in Frankfurt is opened. Two Airbus A380s or three Boeing 747s can be serviced simultaneously in the 25,000-square-metre hangar.
22 January 2008
Lufthansa acquires an interest of 19 per cent in the US low-cost airline jetBlue. From its base at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport it operates a fleet of 104 Airbus A320 and 30 Embraer 190 jets.
14 February 2008
Lufthansa wins a prize for Best Corporate Brand for the first time. The “best brands” awards were set up by the journal Wirtschaftswoche and the German Brands Association and were conferred for the fifth time.
19 March 2008
One of the world’s largest hangars for technical aircraft servicing is formally opened at AMECO Beijing. The maintenance hangar is 350 metres long and 110 metres wide and has space for up to four Airbus A380s to be serviced at once.
9 April 2008
SunExpress, a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, opens a new aviation hub in Istanbul. The airport Sabiha Gökcen is its third hub, alongside Antalya and Izmir.
30 April 2008
Staff and guests at Düsseldorf Airport celebrate the arrival of the first three Airbus A340 long-haul aircraft stationed here. The first aircraft is welcomed with a water fountain by the airport fire brigade and in the evening there is a party for around 3,000 guests in the maintenance hangar.
15 May 2008
LSG Sky Chefs moves its plant to Gateway Gardens. All the catering for all Lufthansa flights from Frankfurt will be run from the new LSG site. The move clears the way for adding urgently needed capacity at the Frankfurt hub.
Juni 2008
In mid June, the refit is completed of the two long-haul A330 and A340-600 fleets with individual screens in Economy Class. Passengers can now compile their own personal entertainment programme from their seat.
16 June 2008
Lufthansa sets new targets for environmental and climate protection with its strategic environmental programme. Its 15 principles define how Lufthansa intends to make further substantial progress in environmental efficiency by 2020.
24 September 2008
The Lufthansa Supervisory Board approves an investment to acquire 45 per cent of Brussels Airlines. The airline traditionally operates a tightly woven network of connections to destinations in Africa.
5 December 2008
Lufthansa and the Austrian state holding company ÖIAG agree on the full integration of Austrian Airlines in the Lufthansa Group.
31 December 2008
Lufthansa acquires an interest of 50.9 per cent in Eurowings. AK Industriebeteiligung accepted the purchase offer for the shares.
1 January 2009
Eurowings Luftverkehrs AG sells its shares in the low-cost airline Germanwings to Deutsche Lufthansa AG.
26 January 2009
The first Welcome Lounge is opened at Frankfurt Airport. After landing, travellers in First and Business Class and status passengers can shower and have an unhurried breakfast in the lounge.
2 February 2009
Six Airbus A319s are to fly to European destinations from Milan under the brand name of Lufthansa Italia. The maiden flight on 2 February is headed for the Spanish port of Barcelona.
1 March 2009
Lufthansa expands its communication for children and teenagers with a new brand strategy under the JetFriends label. It focuses on Lu the crane, who has been a popular figure for more than 20 years. He is now accompanied by the crane chick Cosmo.
2 April 2009
The mobile boarding pass is also available on long-haul routes. The first destination for the new service is Vancouver in Canada. This makes Lufthansa the first airline in the world that is able to send passengers a boarding pass for an intercontinental flight to their mobile phone as a 2D bar code, both for flights from Germany and from Canada.
24 April 2009
The first of 15 new Bombardier CRJ900 jets for Eurowings completes its ferry flight from Canada to Germany. By mid 2010 the other 14 aircraft are delivered.
12 May 2009
Lufthansa tweets. Lufthansa’s Twitter stream offers a wide range of information, from special prices, new products and attractive prize draws to exclusive downloads and the latest news.
19 June 2009
Aero Logic, a joint venture between Lufthansa Cargo and DHL Express, is launched. Its maiden flight takes the brand-new Boeing 777F wide-bodied freighter from the Aero Logic hub in Leipzig-Halle to Asia.
1 July 2009
Lufthansa acquires 50 per cent plus one share of British Midland plc (bmi) and thus controls 80 per cent of bmi shares.
1 July 2009
Last flight for an Airbus A300-600 in Lufthansa livery. Lufthansa staff wistfully bid farewell to an aircraft model popular with both passengers and crew at a big send-off at the Lufthansa base in Frankfurt. The retirement of the A300-600 brings to an end the success story for the A300 series at Lufthansa that began in 1976 with the delivery of the original Airbus A300B2.
3 September 2009
Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Österreichische Industrieholding AG conclude the takeover of AUA by Lufthansa. Austrian Airlines thus becomes part of the Lufthansa Group.
6 October 2009
The great crane lifts into the skies for the first time. The first Lufthansa Airbus A380, with a more than four-metre long crane on its tail fin, takes off from Toulouse for its maiden flight. Three days later the aircraft lands in Hamburg, where its interior completion is to be carried out.
1 November 2009
Lufthansa’s British holding company (LHBD) acquires an additional 20 per cent of the shares in British Midland (bmi). From now on, Lufthansa is the sole shareholder of the British airline bmi.
11 November 2009
Lufthansa and JetBlue Airways start joint flights, with which the two airlines link their route networks via New York and Boston. JetBlue now operates connecting flights for Lufthansa on Lufthansa flight numbers to twelve destinations in the USA and Puerto Rico.
1 December 2009
Germanwings is the new airline partner in the Miles & More programme. This gives programme members the extra option of redeeming their award miles for flights with Germanwings.
26 January 2010
The first of Lufthansa CityLine’s nine Embraer E190s takes off from Frankfurt to Stuttgart with tail number D-AECA and flight number LH1354.
15 April 2010
The eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull in April precipitates widespread airspace closures throughout Europe. Some countries close their airports completely, while in Germany, only some departures and landings are permitted. From 16-19 April, Lufthansa has to cancel all flights from Frankfurt on the instructions of air traffic control.
15 May 2010
Lufthansa adopts the first demoiselle crane chick to be born in Frankfurt Zoo since 1962. Demoiselle cranes are the smallest and one of the most common species of crane.
19 May 2010
Lufthansa takes delivery of its first mega-Airbus A380. On the same day, the A380-800 with registration D-AIMA is given the name Frankfurt am Main by Petra Roth, the mayor of Frankfurt.
19 May 2010
The new Lufthansa First Class celebrates its global premiere on board the first Airbus A380-800. Its luxurious seats can be converted into beds that are 207 cm long and 80 cm wide.
6 June 2010
The German football team takes off on board the A380 D-AIMA for a special flight to the World Cup in South Africa.
11 June 2010
The first Airbus A380 takes off from Frankfurt at 2.32 p.m. on its first scheduled flight to Tokyo.
29 June 2010
The Lufthansa Training & Conference Center in Seeheim is designated a Certified Business and Certified Conference Hotel. This certificate from the German Travel Management Association accredits the centre as a professional conference hotel for business travellers.
27 July 2010
An MD-11 flown by Lufthansa Cargo crash-lands at Riyadh Airport in Saudi Arabia. Both pilots are injured and taken to hospital.
2 September 2010
Lufthansa’s third A380, the D-AIMC, is given the name Peking after its first scheduled flight to the Chinese capital. Its name is also written on the fuselage in Chinese characters. This marks the beginning of a new chapter for Lufthansa: in future, the aircraft in the A380 fleet will be named after great international cities.
22 September 2010
The Lufthansa Supervisory Board clears the way for the order of 48 jets. They include eight Airbus A330-300 wide-bodied jets and 40 aircraft for European routes and are destined for the Group companies SWISS, Lufthansa German Airlines and Germanwings. The list price of the order is approximately EUR 3.5bn.
11 November 2010
The first Lufthansa Boeing 747-8I takes shape in Everett near Seattle. The individual fuselage segments are put together in the final body join.
22 November 2010
Austrian Airlines presents the first aircraft completed with the modern new cabin layout. By September 2011, AUA will have refitted 32 of its aircraft in the new design, including jets from the Airbus A320 family and Boeing 737s.
1 December 2010
Lufthansa passengers on long-haul routes can now surf the internet from above the clouds. Together with its long-standing partners Panasonic Avionics Corporation and Deutsche Telekom, Lufthansa becomes the first airline to provide its passengers with broadband internet access on intercontinental flights.
2 December 2010
Completion of the shell for the future A-Plus pier at Frankfurt Airport is celebrated with a symbolic topping-off ceremony. On going into service it will increase the handling capacity of Terminal 1 by six million passengers a year.
1 January 2011
Dr Christoph Franz succeeds Wolfgang Mayrhuber to become Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG.
1 January 2011
The air traffic tax is introduced for all departures from Germany. €8 per passenger are charged for domestic and short-haul flights. For European flights the rate is €25 and for long-haul routes €45.
16 March 2011
Lufthansa Supervisory Board approves order for 35 new aircraft. They include 30 aircraft from the Airbus A320neo family for the passenger airlines in the Group. Five Boeing 777F freighters are intended for the Logistics segment.
8 June 2011
Flight operations start at the new airline SunExpress Deutschland. Three Boeing 737-800s fly from Frankfurt to Antalya and Malatya, and from Stuttgart to Gaziantep.
15 June 2011
Lufthansa is the first airline in the world to test biofuels in everyday scheduled operations. The Airbus A321 selected for the programme shuttles between Frankfurt and Hamburg. The test phase lasts for six months.
1 July 2011
Surf the net for free in the Lufthansa lounges. Guests in the Lufthansa lounges around the world can use the Wi-Fi provided by Deutsche Telekom to access the internet for free.
8 July 2011
A novel kind of long-term monitoring of the Earth's atmosphere takes place under the name of IAGOS. The data on atmospheric trace elements collected on board a Lufthansa Airbus A340 is available to research centres almost in real time.
2 September 2011
The first Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental leaves the manufacturer’s paintshop in Lufthansa livery.
29 October 2011
Lufthansa cancels its Lufthansa Italia brand introduced in 2008. The brand is discontinued when the summer flight timetable comes to an end. The Airbus A319 aircraft used by Lufthansa Italia are deployed in flight operations elsewhere in the Lufthansa Group from the winter flight timetable 2011/2012.
6 December 2011
Lufthansa opens a new centre for temperature-sensitive goods at Frankfurt Airport. The Lufthansa Cargo Cool Center was built in just six months.
1 January 2012
All airlines departing from and landing in Europe are included in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. This was decided by the European Parliament on 8 July 2008. 85 per cent of the emissions trading certificates are allocated free of charge and 15 per cent are auctioned. Emissions trading costs Lufthansa millions.
5 March 2012
Lufthansa launches a new advertising campaign and presents the new slogan, “Nonstop you”. The aim of the campaign is to emphasise that the Lufthansa brand is open, surprising and accessible for all target groups – a quality airline for all.
8 March 2012
With Lufthansa Holidays, the airline offers an all-round holiday package. At www.lufthansaholidays.com, holidaymakers travelling from Germany can book not only flights, but also complete trips.
1 April 2012
The J+ joint venture is launched between Lufthansa and All Nippon Airways (ANA) from Japan. On routes between Europe and Japan, the two long-term partners can now market a joint product range to their sales and business partners.
19 April 2012
Lufthansa completes the sale of British Midland Ltd (bmi) to International Airlines Group (IAG) for a gross sales price of GBP 172.5m (approx. EUR 207m).
2 May 2012
Lufthansa is the first airline in the world to take delivery of a Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental. The new generation of Jumbos is much quieter and fuel-efficient than its predecessor.
22 May 2012
The new Business Class starts scheduled operations from Munich Airport. The Airbus A330-300 with registration D-AIKP is the first to be fitted as standard with the latest Lufthansa cabin: it has 48 seats with an integrated air-cushion system that open out into a fully-flat bed.
1 June 2012
Lufthansa is the first airline in the world to start scheduled operations with the new Jumbo, the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, on the Frankfurt–Washington, D.C. route. The aircraft with registration D-ABYA lands on schedule at 12.45 a.m. at Dulles International Airport in Washington.
1 July 2012
Austrian Airlines completes the transfer of operations to its subsidiary Tyrolean Airways. This step cuts production costs for AUA by up to one quarter. The “Austrian” brand and the “OS” code are maintained.
21 September 2012
Just in time for the launch of the new Passbook app for the iPhone operating system iOS6, Lufthansa passengers can have their boarding pass issued in the matching format. Passengers can use the mobile boarding pass via the Passbook function on their iPhone.
23 September 2012
Lufthansa CityLine operations now concentrate on Frankfurt and Munich. Reducing the number of fleets to just two – CRJ and Embraer – not only reduces the organisational and operational parameters for flight operations and MRO, but also cuts costs significantly.
2 October 2012
After a construction period lasting about four years, the A-Plus pier at Frankfurt Airport opens on time. The 800-metre-long western extension to Terminal 1 will mainly be used by Lufthansa and its Star Alliance partners.
1 March 2013
Lufthansa receives its first A320ceo with sharklets. The raked wingtips were designed by Airbus and deliver fuel savings of up to four per cent compared with the previous version.
13 March 2013
Lufthansa’s Supervisory Board approves the purchase of 108 aircraft for the Group. Six Boeing 777-300ERs are to be deployed on long-haul routes at the Lufthansa subsidiary SWISS, with two Airbus A380s and 30 Airbus A320neos going to Lufthansa German Airlines. Furthermore, the Executive Board was authorised to finalise ongoing negotiations for the purchase of a further 70 Airbus A320/321neo aircraft.
23 April 2013
The measuring kit to analyse any pollutants is now ready for use and is due to set off on its maiden voyage on the A380 route to Singapore. The specific aim is to record the change in the composition of cabin air during a “smell event”. In general terms the aim is to identify and quantify substances which may potentially be present in cabin air.
8 June 2013
Interested members of the public can find out about the dream of flying and attractive jobs in aviation at the first Aviation Day, which takes place at more than 20 sites in Germany. Lufthansa is also taking part in the project.
1 July 2013
New Germanwings takes off as Germany’s biggest low-cost airline and presents its business with a maiden flight. Three fare types will be on offer in a single Economy Class.
20 July 2013
The Lufthansa Ju52, affectionately known as Aunty Ju, completes 10,000 flying hours since her restoration on a flight from Frankfurt to Saarbrücken.
31 August 2013
Lufthansa’s First Class service collected the coveted International 5 Star Diamond Award in New York. No fewer than three Lufthansa Services were singled out: the Lufthansa First Class product on board the long-haul fleet, the Lufthansa First Class Terminal in Frankfurt and the Lufthansa First Class Lounge at JFK airport in New York.
19 September 2013
Lufthansa announces the biggest aircraft order in the company’s history. 25 Airbus A350-900s and 34 Boeing 777-9X wide-bodied jets will rejuvenate the Lufthansa Group’s long-haul fleet from 2016 onwards. With an investment volume at list prices of EUR 14bn, this is the largest single private investment in the history of German industry.
26 October 2013
Lufthansa’s last propeller flight. The ATR 72-500 aircraft operated by Lufthansa regional subsidiary Air Dolomiti flies from Munich to Trieste. In future, Lufthansa will solely deploy Embraer 190/195 and Bombardier CRJ700/900 jet aircraft, which can carry upwards of 70 passengers, in its regional fleet.
19 November 2013
Lufthansa Cargo takes delivery of the first Boeing 777F freighter aircraft. This new aircraft model is to successively replace the Boeing MD-11F fleet at Lufthansa’s cargo subsidiary.
2 February 2014
Lufthansa’s Supervisory Board appoints Carsten Spohr to succeed Dr Christoph Franz as Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. Spohr, who is the Executive Board member responsible for Lufthansa Passenger Airlines at the time, officially takes up the appointment on 1 May 2014.
5 March 2014
World premiere at the International Tourism Exhibition (ITB) in Berlin. Lufthansa presents the new Premium Economy travel class, which is situated between Business Class and Economy Class on long-haul routes.
2 April 2014
The Lufthansa Group is to reorganise its IT division. One emphasis is on organisational changes at Lufthansa Systems AG, which is to be split into three companies.
7 April 2014
Lufthansa announces that 40 new aircraft from the A320neo family will be equipped with the quiet and highly efficient LEAP-1A engines from General Electric. Deliveries are due to take place from 2021. 60 more A320neos are to be delivered from 2016 onwards, with comparable PW1100G engines from Pratt&Whitney.
Mai 2014
The redesigned Lufthansa Business Class and the new Lufthansa Premium Economy long-haul travel class win the Red Dot Award from an international jury for their outstanding design.
1 May 2014
Carsten Spohr becomes Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Lufthansa.
15 July 2014
The new football world champions are flown straight back to the fan mile in Berlin on the Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 with its “Siegerflieger” lettering.
15 September 2014
Lufthansa Group orders 15 more A320neo and ten A320ceo aircraft for its Group companies. It takes the total number of aircraft on the Group’s order list to 265, with a list price of EUR 30bn.
2 October 2014
New Premium Economy Class takes off. The new travel class is part of the biggest product upgrade in Lufthansa’s history.
22 November 2014
All Lufthansa’s Boeing 747-8Is have been retrofitted with the new Premium Economy Class.
27 November 2014
Lufthansa hands over to the German government the world’s first evacuation plane for the transport and treatment of Ebola patients. At the request of the Federal Foreign Office, Lufthansa Technik spent the last few weeks converting what was previously a passenger aircraft called the “Villingen-Schwennigen” so that it could be used for this special humanitarian mission. Under its new name, the “Robert Koch”, it now serves as the world’s only evacuation facility for highly contagious patients.
3 December 2014
Carsten Spohr, Lufthansa’s Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO, presents the new Group strategy “7to1” on 3 December. Its key elements are: to relaunch the Eurowings subsidiary as a low-cost platform, initially in parallel with Germanwings, with a homogeneous A320 fleet. To station up to seven new, leased Airbus A330-200 wide-bodied jets in Cologne Bonn. To sign a letter of intent to operate the Eurowings long-haul routes with SunExpress cockpit crews.
16 December 2014
Presentation of the long-haul programme Jump. Attractive new destinations are to be added to the Lufthansa route network from December 2015. Flights to the new long-haul tourist destinations will be from Frankfurt under LH flight numbers.
1 January 2015
Flight Captain Martin Gaebel is named deputy member of Lufthansa’s Executive Board.
1 February 2015
The first Airbus A320 takes off in the new Eurowings livery for its maiden flight from Hamburg to Prague.
März 2015
As of spring, the Lufthansa Group will be fuelling its aircraft at Oslo Airport with a biokerosene mixture. The Group recently became the first airline group to sign this kind of contract with the Norwegian oil company Statoil Aviation.
4 March 2015
Official sales start for short- and long-haul flights with the new Eurowings. Eurowings intercontinental flights depart from Cologne Bonn Airport starting on 1 November 2015. The cheapest tickets on the long-haul routes are already on offer from EUR 99.99 per route. The first flights will take off to the Caribbean, Dubai and Thailand.
24 March 2015
The 24 March 2015 marks the date of the worst tragedy in the history of the Lufthansa Group.
At 10:41 that morning, an Airbus 320 bearing the flight number Germanwings 4U9525 and en route from Barcelona to Düsseldorf came down in the French Alps, 140 kilometers to the northeast of Marseilles. All 144 passengers and six crew members perished in the crash. The victims were from 17 different countries, although most hailed from Germany and Spain.
22 August 2015
Tante Ju
Lufthansa JU 52 receives a globally unique honour: Tante Ju" (Auntie Ju) becomes a flying monument
The "Tante Ju" has been bestowed an honour as no passenger aircraft before: As the world's first and only historic commercial aircraft certified for commercial flight operations, the Office for Heritage Preservation of the Hamburg Department for Culture has designated the Ju 52 a heritage asset as a "mobile monument". This underlines the importance of the aircraft as an example of the history of architecture, engineering and aviation, the use and conservation of which lie in the public interest.
1 October 2015
New Economy Class fares for European routes
Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Swiss are launching a new Economy Class pricing concept on European routes, allowing passengers in all Economy booking classes to choose from three fare options: Light, Classic and Flex. Each of these involves fixed conditions which differ according to price. Those travelling with hand-luggage only will be able to do so cheaper with the new Light fare, while business travelers can purchase flexible tickets (changes free of charge) with the Flex fare, meaning passengers only pay for the services they actually use.
1 November 2015
The launch of the new Eurowings
Intercontinental flights operated by the new Eurowings are now starting up out of Cologne-Bonn Airport. The first services will fly to the Caribbean, Dubai and Thailand, with the cheapest long-haul fares available from just 99,99 Euros per leg.
20. January 2016
Acquisition of the first A320neo
Lufthansa was the first customer to acquire the first of these quiet aircraft.
The A320neo has new engines and improved aerodynamics which have made significant progress in terms of noise and emission reduction possible. Lufthansa has ordered a total of 116 aircraft of the A320neo family.
22. January 2016
With biokerosine from Oslo
Lufthansa Group fuels their aircraft at Oslo Airport with a fuel mixture that contains five percent biokerosine. It is the first airline group in the world that has signed a regular procurement agreement of this kind with a supplier.
26 April 2016
Satellite terminal at Munich Airport
Munich Airport and German Lufthansa put the new satellite terminal at Munich Airport into operation.
Munich Airport and German Lufthansa put the new satellite terminal at Munich Airport into operation. The satellite has 27 aircraft parking positions near to the building and offers passengers attractive restaurants and shopping opportunities over an area covering 7,000 square metres. The CO2 emission is 40 percent lower in comparison to existing terminals.
20 September 2016
Joint Venture with Air China
Lufthansa and Air China sign a contract for a commercial joint venture in Beijing.
Lufthansa and Air China sign a contract for a commercial joint venture in Beijing. Code-sharing connections, flight plan coordination and joint tariff offers should intensify the business collaboration.
19 December 2016
Acquisition of the first A350
Lufthansa acquires its first A350-900 in Hamburg.
Lufthansa acquires its first A350-900 in Hamburg. The twin-engine long-haul aircraft is to a great extent made from composite materials and is the most modern and environmentally friendly aircraft on the market. For Lufthansa it is their entry into the 2-litre class.
1 January 2017
Ulrik Svensson becomes Chief Financial Officer
Ulrik Svensson is appointed to the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG and takes over leadership of the financial department. He succeeds Simone Menne, who resigned from the Executive Board on 31st August 2016.
9 January 2018
Acquisition of Brussels Airlines
Acquisition of Brussels Airlines.
Lufthansa exercises a call option to purchase the remaining 55 per cent of the shares and takes over 100 per cent of SN Airholding. Brussels Airlines will be fully integrated into the Lufthansa Group from 2018 and fly under the roof of the Eurowings Group.
1 February 2017
Cooperation with Etihad
Etihad Aviation Group and Lufthansa announce an extension of their cooperation.
Etihad Aviation Group and Lufthansa announce an extension of their cooperation. Code-share flights between Frankfurt, Munich and Abu Dhabi will be offered and further connections to Rio de Janeiro and Bogotá will be added later. Lufthansa subsidiary LSG Sky Chefs is taking over the catering for Etihad in 16 European, Asian and American cities. A declaration of intent for the maintenance, repair and a general overhaul of aircraft was signed with Lufthansa Technik.
13 October 2017
Contract for the purchase of parts of the Air Berlin Group signed
Contract for the purchase of parts of the Air Berlin Group signed.
Lufthansa Group and Air Berlin Group sign agreement to acquire NIKI Luftfahrt GmbH and Luftfahrtgesellschaft Walter mbH (LGW). The capacity at Eurowings is to be further increased by these two airlines. In mid-December 2017 the EU Commission prohibits the acquisition of NIKI.
4 December 2017
Lufthansa is the only European five-star airline
Lufthansa is the only European five-star airline.
Lufthansa is the first airline outside Asia to receive the five-star seal of Skytrax, the British management consultancy specializing in aviation. It has thus joined the select circle of ten airlines that now hold the coveted award. The Skytrax jury has been awarding Lufthansas First Class a five-star rating for many years now, now the entire airline is receiving the award.
7 February 2018
Lufthansa presents new brand design – origin meets future
Lufthansa presents new brand design – origin meets future.
At two major events at its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich, Lufthansa presents its new, modernized brand identity to customers and employees. The most visible sign of this change is the new paint scheme for the aircraft. A darker blue becomes the leading brand color. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Lufthansa crane, every detail of the design was revised - above all with a view to the requirements of the digital age. The new Lufthansa appearance lends the individual elements to a new, modern quality and sharpens their effect. The designers attached great importance to picking up on the unique design tradition of the Lufthansa brand and leading it into the future.
25 March 2018
Lufthansa stations five Airbus A380s at Munich Airport
Lufthansa stations five Airbus A380s at Munich Airport.
With the start of the summer flight schedule, Deutsche Lufthansa is deploying a total of five Airbus A380 long-haul aircraft at Munich Airport. From its Bavarian hub, the airline with the largest passenger aircraft in the world will now take off daily for Los Angeles, Beijing and Hong Kong. After London, Paris and Frankfurt, Munich will thus become only the fourth European location to station Airbus A380 wide-body aircraft.

1926 -1950

The history of first Lufthansa from the origins until 1945

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The 1950s

A new beginning: Starting over with fresh spirit

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The 1960s

Jets replace propellers: Time savings on all routes

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The 1970s

Despite several crises: Flying in wide-body dimensions

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The 1980s

Global challenge: Competing for customers

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The 1990s

From airline to Aviation Group

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The 2000s

Taking off into the new millennium

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The 2010s

The Lufthansa Group: Mobility and ecological efficiency

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The history of Lufthansa from the origins until 1945

It was only at the beginning of the last century that the human race first began to see its dream of flight come true. The pace with which international aviation has developed since then is truly fantastic, and German aviation played a significant role in this grand adventure.

1920s

A pioneering era: from adventure to routine operations

Fly in open aircraft, in the dead of winter? Could such a thing really be possible? It just had to work. And the time was now: the beginning of the 1920s, right after the war. Politicians and journalists were the first to crouch on uncomfortable planks, “air-cooled” and surrounded by mail bags and parcels. They were real pioneers. But it wouldn‘t be long until they‘d be sitting in full-fledged passenger aircraft, equipped with heated cabins. By now a number of a small aviation companies had sprung up in Germany. Their aircraft made wobbly trips, back and forth, from one city to another – preferably along rail lines and during the day. Pilots didn‘t have radio contact with the ground yet. Only two airlines survived the all-out competitive battle: Deutscher Aero Llyod and Junkers Luftverkehr. For the subsidies-paying German state, however, this was still one too many. After the two joined forces to found “Deutsche Luft Hansa AG” on January 6, 1926, the flight path started to point upward.

With the introduction of the summer timetable 1928, Lufthansa offered a special air freight service: During certain periods of the year, the airline operated daily cargo flights covering a route network measuring 3,855 kilometers.

In 1926, a “path of lights” marked the way for the pilots of the first night flight from Berlin to Königsberg. Rotating floodlights had been installed every 25-30 kilometers; in between, neon lights or gas beacons were perched on masts or atop gables – like little lighthouses – every four or five kilometers. The aircraft itself was equipped with floodlights and electrically lit magnesium lights on its wings, and the cockpit instruments were also illuminated. Onboard radio equipment was still in the experimental stages.

1930s

Growing trust: Further, faster and more comfortably

Experienced pilots, with thousands of flight kilometers under their belts, found themselves back at school: They squeezed into a tiny cockpit with blacked-out windows blocking any view to the outside. There pilots learned to fly by instruments alone, to fly under adverse weather conditions and at zero visibility. This was a giant step forward for aviation, passengers and mail. Airlines were better able to adhere to their timetables, even in fall and winter.

Flying lost its seasonal character. What‘s more: Larger aircraft could now fly longer routes – and therein lay the future, not in the “hop-and-skip-routes” of the early years, which merely cost subsidy money. For Lufthansa, South America and the Far East now drew within reach.

The 1937 Pamir expedition across the Hindu Kusch mountain range to China aimed at exploring possible routes for scheduled flights to the Far East.

Passengers aboard a Ju 52 enjoy the comfort and fantastic views offered by its large rectangular windows.

1940s

The war years: The fight for survival

Europe was in the grips of war – one that was soon to escalate into a world war. The Reich‘s government obligated Lufthansa by law to provide services, transport flights and technical operations. All Lufthansa documents, including the annual report, were stamped “Secret!” Despite all the difficulties, it was business as usual.

Connections to neutral countries were particularly of great importance. That‘s where businessmen, diplomats and agents continued to fly: that‘s where post and information were exchanged. During the war years, timetables were always subject to changes at short notice. At the beginning of the decade, even Tempelhof, the airline‘s home airport, had to be evacuated for a time. And finally – in 1945 – came the “over and out” for Germany and for Lufthansa.

Publications

In the Sign of the Crane

Joachim Wachtel and Günther Ott’s richly illustrated book “Im Zeichen des Kranichs” (In the Sign of the Crane), about the beginnings of Deutsche Luft Hansa, founded in 1926, is the story of human triumph over gravity, distance and time. It also covers the Second World War period through the start of the company’s dissolution in 1951. Deutsche Lufthansa AG is publishing the book in spring 2016 on the occasion of the 90-year anniversary of the founding of the first Lufthansa.

Order (ISBN: 978-3-492-05788-2)

Study

On behalf of the company, Dr. Lutz Budraß examined the role that foreign employees played at Lufthansa during the Second World War. His study has been available free of cost since 2001 at Lufthansa’s historical archive. A bound edition is now also available for the first time in book stores as a supplement to Wachtel and Ott’s book “Im Zeichen des Kranichs”.

The 1950s

A new beginning: Starting over with fresh spirit

Courage and drive were behind Lufthansa’s fresh start. But these were troubled and insecure times, the years of the Cold War. Almost at the same time, two companies named Deutsche Lufthansa took to the skies – one on each side of the Iron Curtain. American and British pilots sat beside their German colleagues in the cockpits of Lufthansa aircraft in the West, while Russian and German pilots shared the controls in the East. This set-up was not meant to last. Yet Allied regulations in the former capital of the Reich did not allow the young, up-and-coming Federal Republic to fly through the air corridors to West Berlin, to Tempelhof and Tegel Airports. And as things turned out, this restriction was to remain in place for decades to come. Consequently, the new Lufthansa developed in new centers. First in Hamburg and Cologne, and then in Frankfurt.

Nucleus for rebirth

The postwar era brought about great change. The first democratic government under Chancellor Konrad Adenauer had been in office since 1949. Rationing coupons – a reminder of the war and the country’s state-controlled economy – had just been abolished in 1950. Now the time seemed to be ripe to put those long-held plans for the reconstruction of a national airline to the test of real-life conditions. During the years of the “economic miracle,” the up-and-coming Federal Republic of Germany increasingly gained in self-confidence. It found itself courted militarily by other nations, and was right on track to regain its sovereignty, including sovereignty over its air space.

Early on, the first Federal Transport Minister, graduate engineer Hans-Christoph Seebohm, had pointed out the necessity and economic significance of a national airline. At a 1949 conference of the transport ministers of the German states in Berlin, he had already reflected on the “fundamental right of a state to decide on all modes of transport on its own authority”.

Graduate engineer Gerhard Höltje, a seasoned technical hand, decided on the first aircraft orders.

As the 1950s began, there were many convincing reasons that spoke for founding a new, wholly German airline – at least from a German perspective. Rebuilding the economy, reestablishing business relationships dating back to the prewar years, these matters required intact links abroad, links that were independent of the purely commercial considerations of foreign companies. It was also becoming clear that air transport was set to develop into an important economic force and source of employment. No one could foresee, though, the actual scope this development would eventually take.

When the Ministry of Transport finally started, with Allied consent, preparing the way for an independent German air transport industry, business consultant Hans M. Bongers was the obvious man for the job.

Bongers had long since presented plans for such an endeavor. On May 29, 1951, Transport Minister Seebohm named Bongers his advisor on air transport issues. His brief was to “advise the Federal Government on the issues of future air transport and work actively as an expert in this field.” Above all, he was to dedicate himself to the “problems of establishing and operating a new German airline.” The “Bureau Bongers” moved to Cologne, closer to the country’s “provisional capital,” Bonn.

Looking back, Bongers’ sparsely furnished planning office was to become the basic nucleus for the rebirth of the airline. This also explains why the new Lufthansa was incorporated in Cologne, and established its headquarters there.

Bongers was one of the few in Germany who had learned the airline business from the bottom up. In 1924, when he was working at Junkers, he had started developing an operating cost reporting system for air transport. He was concerned with profita-bility at a time when everybody else still thought in terms of subsidies. At the old Lufthansa, Bongers had worked his way up from workshop manager, manager with power of attorney and division director to head of operations for the entire company.

“Bureau Bongers, 1st floor”: The sign on the door of the Cologne consultancy.

Shaping the future of German avia-tion: Hans M. Bongers

To his office on Cologne’s Kaiser-Wilhelm-Ring, Bongers had attracted a team of aviation experts – former Lufthansa colleagues. Walter Issel, for instance, who had served on the board of Deruluft, had been corporate lawyer at Lufthansa and an employee of the Zeppelin Group. And Captain von Engel, who had flown routes across the North and South Atlantic.

Since September 1951, Bongers’ contact at the Ministry in Bonn had been the “De-part--ment of Air Transport” under Ministerial Director Kurt Knipfer. Knipfer, himself a member of Lufthansa’s Supervisory Board from 1926 to 1944, was intimately familiar with all the problems concerning the airline and the air transport industry in general.

Bongers found the ideal partner on the technical side of the business in graduate engineer Gerhard Höltje. At the old Luft-hansa, Höltje had taken part in the development of seaplanes. And he had been a certification engineer at several of the larger German aircraft manufacturers before head-ing the testing department of the Technical Development division at Lufthansa. After the war, he was active in the maintenance of the American transport aircraft stationed at Tempelhof Airport, which kept him in touch with the latest developments in modern aviation.

Everything that Bongers planned was purely theoretical at first. Plenty of paper paved the path toward the new Lufthansa. His expertises, calculations and analyses served as a basis for the work of the “Preparation Committee Aviation” (PCA). The committee was made up of eight representatives of the Federal Government, the German states and industry. Dr. Kurt Weigelt, the last deputy chairman of the old Luft-hansa’s Supervisory Board, was appointed chairman of the PCA.

The PCA evaluated the possibilities for German commercial aviation and drew up guidelines for a German airline that was yet to be incorporated. All of this was accomplished with the awareness that “reestablishing German air transport is an extremely difficult task for our impoverished, torn and struggling country.”

Theory and practice

The planners were busy planning, but their plans didn’t quite match reality – at least not timewise. According to optimistic projections, German aircraft were to be in the air again by 1953. But the negotiations with the Allies concerning the new treaty for the Federal Republic dragged on, and without a treaty there was no green light.

Progress was slow at first, made one step at a time. On September 26, 1952, the cabinet approved a preparatory company for the planned air transport activities. And on January 6, 1953, a highly symbolic date as this was also the anniversary of the old Lufthansa, the founders gathered in the conference room of the Chamber of Commerce in Cologne to launch the “Aktiengesellschaft für Luftverkehrsbedarf” (Luftag). Its shareholders were the Federal Republic, the German Railway and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Together, they put up a share capital of DM 6 million. Dr. Kurt Weigelt was named Chairman of the Super-visory Board.

Bongers and Höltje now headed Luftag in Cologne, turning theory into practice. Finally, there was something like a perceptible “propeller wind.”

Luftag was authorized to purchase aircraft, hire and train employees, and create a ground organization. Starting August 6, 1954 it was also allowed to call itself “Deutsche Lufthansa Aktiengesellschaft” – a visible expression of its identification with the great model. It did not become the former airline’s legal successor, however, as it had merely acquired the name from the “Deutsche Lufthansa Aktiengesellschaft in Liquidation.”

At the top of the agenda was the choice of suitable aircraft. Unlike the situation before the war, there were no German aircraft manufacturers. No Junkers, Heinkel, Dornier or Focke-Wulf, which would have worked closely with the airline to develop aircraft in accordance with its needs. Now the centers of technical development were concentrated exclusively in America and England.

Limited means – the shareholder capital had to be quickly increased to DM 25 million and shortly thereafter to DM 50 million – left no room for experiments when it came to selecting aircraft. The final choice was four Convair CV 340s for short and medium-hauls and four Super Constella-tions for long-hauls, all factory-new American airplanes.

And to fly these aircraft, the airline needed pilots. Luftag applied strict exams to select a few pilots from the former Lufthansa pool as suitable candidates for the necessary retraining. In early November 1953, five pilots and five flight engineers began their training at the Luftag offices in the former building of Cologne University. In the end, this course was to take them to the aircraft factories on America’s West Coast.

Three women with a “dream job”: Lufthansa stewardesses in the 1950s.

And flight attendants were sought after too. During the tough postwar years, being a stewardess was considered the veritable “dream job” for women. The whole world was thought to be at their feet. Here a quote from the press of the day: “Smartly uniformed, gracious, helpful, almost all-knowing and altogether charming, the girls who look after the well-being of passengers aboard civil airliners are passionately envied for their job, which appears to be cloaked in the mystery of romance and travel. But how few of the teenyboppers who dream today of joining this profession realize just how much responsibility and effort serving aboard the giants of the air implies, how high the expectations that airlines must have of applicants actually are, and how many sacrifices one has to make if one chooses this task!” Not surprisingly, applications came in by the basketful, even though standards were set so very high.

In the meantime, new hangars arose at Fuhlsbüttel Airport. They were to make Hamburg Lufthansa’s engineering base, and the home base for its fleet. Venturesome and far-sighted, as is fitting for a Hanseatic city, Hamburg’s senate had agreed to construct hangars and buildings for Lufthansa, giving the city a second port, this time an airport. The city put up DM 11 million for these investments. At the time, Hamburg appeared to be the most promising point of origin for intercontinental connections.

A lot was improvised, and certain things were downright primitive. The station manager in Frankfurt, for example, had a provisional office in the hangar. The furniture consisted mainly of a table that had been nailed back together, a typewriter, a cashbox with precious little money, some files and a few forms. The station manager and his assistant “resided” on upturned boxes. Such was the pioneer era at the new Lufthansa…

“Chocks away!”

In March 1955, after the Allied authorities and the German Ministry of Transport had given their approvals, Lufthansa began with trial flights over the Federal Republic. British captains flew with German copilots: practical training for the new, the second start.

The Federal Government, which had played a key role in Lufthansa’s comeback, provided the organizational framework for Germany’s newly-constituted air transport. It organized air traffic control, created the necessary legal basis and put the state’s aviation administration in place.

On the international scene, too, the country started joining in again. In 1954, at the request of the European Council, representatives of the Federal Republic of Germany took part in a conference on the coordination of air traffic in Europe, organized by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This conference lead to the foundation of the European Civil Aviation Confer-ence (ECAC), whose constituting session took place at the end of 1955, once more with the Federal Republic of Germany participating.

A year later, Germany joined the treaty on international civil aviation and the transit agreement, which had been passed on December 7, 1944 at the international aviation conference in Chicago. This made the Federal Republic of Germany a member of the ICAO, a specialized United Nations organization, whose major task is to simplify the rules that govern worldwide air transport.

On April 1, 1955, Lufthansa, this “late homecomer of German industry,” once again started flying its flag – bearing the crane so rich in tradition and the colors

blue and yellow. Exactly 10 years had come and gone since the total hopelessness in the face of the ruins of 1945 and the modest, new beginning, noted more in passing by the wider public.

On the morning of April 1, two Convairs took off almost simultaneously in Hamburg and Munich for a day of regular scheduled services. Each time the planes made a stopover, speeches and receptions marked the occasion.

Pan American welcomed Lufthansa in newspaper ads: “Hello Lufthansa! We welcome this ‘new’ old member into the ranks of world airlines. We’re delighted by this addition to the family, and are convinced that Lufthansa’s long-standing tradition will determine its future performance too. Chocks away!”

A Convair CV340 in front of the terminal at Frankfurt Airport shortly after operations started up again.

First flights

Lufthansa’s first timetable was no more than a simple flyer, offering just four flights, Monday-Friday, on routes within Germany.

On May 5, 1955, the Paris Treaties went into effect. The Federal Republic regained its sovereignty, including sovereignty over its air space. By mid-May, Lufthansa was once again able to fly to Paris.

On May 15, 1955 at Madrid’s Barajas Airport, the airline reopened the historically important route linking Germany to the Iberian peninsula, a route that had been served by Lufthansa aircraft until 1945. The next day, the routes from Hamburg and Munich to London, the center of European air transport, were inaugurated with festive ceremonies. And the day after that, Hans Bongers and Monsieur Lemaire, the head of civil aviation in France, gave speeches to mark the kickoff of services at Orly Airport in Paris.

The opening of the first long-haul routes didn’t have long to wait, either. The first scheduled North Atlantic flight took place on June 8, 1955. American carrier TWA provided pilots for the Super Constellations – ten to start with. Their numbers would increase to 20 by the end of April 1957. And at the end of March 1956, the first all-German cockpit crew took off on a flight to the USA. Super Constellations flew scheduled nonstop services on the routes from Frankfurt and Dusseldorf to New York. The “Super Conny” had been equipped with additional fuel tanks, so-called wing-tip tanks. The sleek “Queen of the Skies,” as it was affectionately known, was an elegant, reliable high-performance aircraft with a cockpit crew of at least five, including navigator and radio operator.

The flagship of the Lufthansa fleet: the Super Constellation from Lockheed. Their characteristic vertical stabilizers made these aircraft unmistakable.

The first training course for flight attendants took place from January 3 to February 12, 1955.

Rapid reconstruction

In these early pioneer years, the new Lufthansa employed about 1,100 people. After one year of operations, the balance sheet of their work read like this: Lufthansa had carried about 104,000 passengers on scheduled and special flights, covering a distance of 5,066,000 flight kilometers in 15,900 flight hours. It had also flown about 1,000 tons of freight and 500 tons of mail. And it served 12 airports.

Parallel to expanding German and European services, parallel to taking those much more difficult first steps on intercon-tinental routes, first to North America in 1955 and then to South America and the Far East in 1956, Lufthansa could now begin to secure its international transport interests by negotiating contractual agreements.

The first bilateral air transport agreements were signed in 1955, with the USA and Great Britain in July and with France in October. In the years and decades to follow, the Federal Republic of Germany signed more than 80 such agreements, thus acquir--ing an extensive list of assets in the form of traffic rights by exchanging comparable rights in Germany.

In all negotiations with other countries to establish air services over the years, the Federal Government has designated Luft-hansa as the German airline authorized to exercise the agreed-on traffic rights. This has made Deutsche Lufthansa the carrier that represents national air transport interests abroad. In the process, the airline has acquired not only the rights but also the duty to offer, within the limits of its economic possibilities, a comprehensive worldwide route network.

Lufthansa also became a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) again. At a meeting of its executive committee June 6-8, 1955 in Montreal, the IATA, which represents the interests of international airlines, accepted Lufthansa as a member with immediate effect. The airline received the rights to attend and vote at IATA traffic conferences. Since its reinstatement as a member, Lufthansa has proven its positive attitude toward the IATA by participating intensely in the work of numerous committees and work groups.

During this period of rapid reconstruction, the number of employees grew year by year: At the end of 1957 the airline had almost 5,000 employees, and by the end of 1958 this number had already exceeded the 6,000 mark. The number of pilots rose as the route network expanded and the fleet grew. The airline added such new aircraft as the four-engined Lockheed L 1649 A “Super Star” for long-haul routes as well as the twin-engined Convair 440 and the Vickers Viscount.

With regard to training pilots, Lufthansa made an important decision early on – it established its own flying school, which opened on May 1, 1956 in Bremen. Twelve trainee pilots took part in the first training course.

Highest standards of service

The new Lufthansa took to the skies in 1955 with a route network of about 8,000 kilometers. By the end of 1959, its routes had already expanded to cover almost 93,300 kilometers. In the first reporting year, 74,000 passengers traveled aboard Lufthansa aircraft. In 1959, the last year of the propeller era, this number climbed to 786,000. These figures all reflect the performance of the expanding Lufthansa sales organization and the IATA agents working on its behalf.

In competing with the established car-riers, who were already operating faster jets such as the Boeing B707, service quickly became a top priority, especially on the North Atlantic route. That is why Lufthansa launched a luxury service by the name of “Senator” in November 1958 – first once a week, a year later twice a week – on the Hamburg–Frankfurt–Dusseldorf–New York route. While the “Super Star” carried up to 86 passengers on all-Economy Class flights, its “Senator” services offered only eight First Class seats, 18 Deluxe seats and four beds, for a grand total of 30. The walls of the elegant lounge were covered in leather. And the cabin crew was upgraded to include the airline’s own specially trained, in-flight chef, who prepared dishes à la carte, including potato pancakes, a dish highly appreciated and frequently requested by passengers. Inbuilt tape recorders and loudspeakers saw to it that there was plenty of entertainment aboard. Flying had become a “Senator” Class pleasure…

Fulfilling the highest expectations in matters of comfort, Lufthansa’s “Senator” service rapidly won the approval of captains of industry, stars of show business and other VIPs. It was even popular with crowned heads: King Ibn Saud chartered a Lufthansa Super Constellation on August 31, 1959 to fly from Geneva to Cairo on a state visit – an enormous prestige plus for the airline. Later, Lufthansa offered “Senator” service in the First Class cabins on all its intercontinental routes, modifying it as needed for the shorter flying times. Today, the red rose still symbolizes the highest standards of service.

Nor did the airline lose sight of regular air tourists, a growing market segment at a time of rising incomes. On December 21, 1955, Norddeutscher Lloyd, Hamburg-Ameri--ca Line, the German Railways and Lufthansa jointly founded Deutsche Flugdienst GmbH, later to become Condor Flugdienst GmbH. On March 29, 1956, its entire fleet – consisting of three Vickers Vikings – took off for its first touristic flights. Its first passengers were pilgrims flying to the Holy Land.

Top-level comfort in First Class: Lufthansa has been offering its Senator Service since November 1958.

Inauguration of the South Atlantic route on August 15, 1956. Also aboard: the Lufthansa chef, who looked after the passengers’ culinary well-being.

Lufthansa hosts the VIPs: Ski champion Toni Sailer in front of a Lockheed Super Star.

Two, side by side

And something else had happened, something almost absurd: A second – strictly speaking a third – Lufthansa appeared in the eastern part of the divided Germany, in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). By the mid-1950s, civil aviation started taking shape in that country, too, oriented in its organization toward the Soviet Union and thus Aeroflot.

The GDR’s council of ministers appointed the first directors of that Deutsche Lufthansa on July 1, 1955. This was considered its official date of incorporation.

Flight operations began in September, first on domestic routes in a network extending from Berlin Schönefeld to Dresden, Leipzig, Chemnitz (at the time called Karl-Marx-Stadt), Erfurt and Barth. In the same year, the East German Lufthansa also start-ed flying to Eastern Block countries – its preferred routes. Beginning in 1957, the airline was ready and able to fly with its own, German crews.

An aircraft of the “other” Lufthansa, from the German Democratic Republic, at Moscow Airport.

The fleet comprised up to 25 twin-engined Iljushin IL-14s, plus multipurpose airplanes and helicopters. These aircraft, too, carried the crane as the airline’s corporate logo on their horizontal stabilizers.

In the international arena, however, two “Lufthansas” flying side by side with the same corporate design were bound to have difficulties. As early as 1958, the first retrenching battles were fought in the East by incorporating “Interflug” as a company with limited liability, in which the East German Lufthansa and other state-owned companies held shares. Interflug flew with aircraft and crews of Lufthansa East, and started operations exclusively as a charter airline.

After years of effort, the legal department of the Cologne-based Lufthansa finally suc-ceeded in imposing its name and logo internationally – against opposition above all from the Eastern Block. But it was not until 1963, following a lawsuit filed in Bel-grade, that the GDR Lufthansa would be absorbed by “Interflug, Gesellschaft für inter-nationalen Flugverkehr mbH”. Interflug took over all flight operations on September 1, 1963.

Planning for the jet age

Circumstances had put Deutsche Lufthansa off to a late start, and that at a time when technology was undergoing radical change. The “golden age” of piston-engined passenger aircraft over the North Atlantic, the world’s most important routes, was drawing to a close. With the Lockheed Super Star L 1649 A, which Lufthansa also added to its fleet in 1957, this technology had finally reached the acme of its development.

In July 1954, the prototype of the Boeing B707, the legendary “Dash 80,” had flown its maiden flight in the USA. Even at that time, those responsible recognized that the future belonged to jet aircraft in the civil domain as well.

Lufthansa – still in the planning phase at the time – found itself facing some difficult choices. The task of establishing a modern airline with comparatively modest capital resources was difficult enough. Dealing with major technical difficulties, or even the usual teething problems of new types of aircraft, meant far too many hurdles for the fledgling airline to overcome. The new Lufthansa had to fly, and fly reliably. It could not afford to burden itself with the risks of a revolutionary technology. This explains the airline’s purchase of tried-and-tested propeller aircraft. Investments running into the millions…

On the other hand, everybody knew what lay ahead, what was just around the corner – an almost schizophrenic situation the young Lufthansa simply had to cope with. The planning process had been up and running since November 5, 1956. Dubbed “Paper Jet,” this project simulated flight operations between Frankfurt and New York. Theory was to prepare the way for a new era: Lufthansa carefully analyzed the performance data provided by the jet prototype, now in the air for a year and a half.

Many participated in this project. The German Weather Service collected meteo-rological data relevant for jet operations. German Air Traffic Control addressed the issues of controlling jets flying at high altitudes. These paper-based flight operations considered not only the wind’s force and direction but also all important parameters in realistic combinations, including visibility at the destination and the traffic situation. This resulted in data that closely simulated real-life conditions concerning take-off weights, attainable cruising altitudes, flying times and fuel consumption rates.

The project was run just like actual flight operations, including precise flight preparations. Flight dispatchers used weather forecast maps to calculate the minimum time track, the fastest route on which an inter-continental aircraft can reach its destination. Back then, in the precomputer age, this was a time-consuming and laborious task.

Jet aircraft can only fly economically at high altitudes. What this meant in practice, though, first had to be worked out. In their calculations, the planners quickly discovered the trick of accounting for detours to side-step strong headwinds, taking advantage of the favorable “jet streams” at high altitudes as a tail wind. Even detours of 700 to 800 kilometers proved economically advantageous on flights between Frankfurt and New York.

Final assembly of a Convair CV 340 at the factory in San Diego, USA, in 1954.

Roll-out of the first Boeing B707 for Lufthansa in November 1959.

When Lufthansa ordered its first four jet aircraft, it chose the Boeing B707. The final contract was signed on January 23, 1957. This was a decision against the competing model, the Douglas DC-8. Outwardly, though, these aircraft shared a striking resemblance. And traditional “Douglas airlines” like Swissair had ensured a well-filled order book for the Boeing B707’s archrival.

After this basic choice in favor of the Boeing B707 had been made, the question of the engine type was still open. The stand-ard engine for both the Boeing B707 and the Douglas DC-8 was the Pratt & Whitney JT4A-3. Unlike other airlines, Lufthansa had put off its final selection. Expectations were that there would soon be a second version with the Rolls-Royce Conway 10 dual-circuit engine.

In-depth analyses had shown that the Boeing B707 with the Rolls-Royce turbo-fan engine, due to its lower engine weight and fuel consumption, promised a valuable increase in maximum payload on the criti--cal route from Frankfurt to New York. This, added to certain price advantages, was the decisive reason for specifying this type of engine. Lufthansa was the very first airline to order the Conway engines, with a thrust of 7,940 kilopond each, for the Boeing B707.

What’s more, this engine promised to be slightly quieter, as Rolls-Royce had accomplished pioneering work in the area of sound absorption. This was an important consideration in light of the emerging public debate about jet noise.

At the time when Lufthansa placed its order, the Pratt & Whitney engine had without a doubt reached a higher level of development than the Conway engine. However, Rolls-Royce’s excellent reputation and its technical facilities helped to convince the airline that its engines would be available on schedule, and perform as guaranteed.

In November 1959, Lufthansa’s first Boeing B707 rolled out of an assembly hangar at the Boeing plant in Renton, USA. And a new era began…

The 2000s

Taking off into the new millennium

Flight operations crossed the threshold into the new millennium without any problem; all our IT systems sailed smoothly into the year 2000. But on September 11, 2001, the world was changed forever and the entire aviation industry thrown into deep crisis. The Lufthansa Group was suddenly facing an existential test. This situation was exacerbated by insecurity over the possibility of war in Iraq and the threat from the SARS virus. Lufthansa stood up to these challenges with its unwaveringly high level of product quality and its far-reaching investments.

Taking off into the new millennium

“Millennium,” that magic word: For a brief and shining moment, the whole world was swept up in the whirlwind surrounding the passage into the new millennium. Rarely had mankind been so keenly aware of the Earth's rotation as on that New Year's Eve when our calendars switched from 1999 to 2000. An awareness witnessed on television screens in metropolises from Sydney to New York.

This was globalization in action. And it spoke for the overall high level of technological standards that the muchhyped “millennium bug,” prophesied and feared to cause computer systems to crash worldwide, simply did not occur as countermeasures had been taken well ahead of time. For the 100,000 Lufthansa passengers crossing the millennium threshold on this memorable “night of nights,” the universal message from cockpits and stations was: “All systems are go!”

Indeed, world aviation, that linchpin of globalization, was looking forward to a brilliant future. Analysts agreed that air transport would increasingly assume the role of “key industry” in the years ahead. This was a logical conclusion in a world that had rapidly turned away from the “wall thinking” of the 20th century to embrace the “network thinking” of globalization. Just as the Internet creates a huge globespanning network of communications, the world's airlines and their alliances create a parallel network of mobility.

Lufthansa stood to benefit greatly from this trend toward expanding networks and linkups. The very nature of its business had alone given the company an important role in the development of futureoriented information technology. After all, the airline handles enormous volumes of reservations data, stores and makes instantly accessible vast amounts of information, transmits data to aircraft in flight and communicates globally, all on a daily basis.

As Lufthansa sees it, the aircraft and the Internet have become become a team typical of the 21st century. Today, in the world's industrialized countries, one out of every three inhabitants travels by air. In Germany alone, an aircraft takes off every 5 seconds on average. The scope of human relations and business activities has expanded with increasing speed. This makes Lufthansa an active part of how we experience life in the 21st century.

Thanks to professional countermeasures, the widely anticipated chaos resulting from worldwide computer system crashes as the calendar advanced from 1999 to 2000 did not come to pass.

In our globalized world, aviation increasingly takes on the role of “key industry.”

Lufthansa 2000

Like telecommunications, international, worldspanning civil aviation is the backbone of open societies. At the start of the new millennium, air transport's contribution to the global economy was significant: 28 million direct and indirect jobs worldwide, a share of US$ 1,400 billion in worldwide gross production, 1.6 billion people using the services of airlines every year and 40 percent (by value) of all exported goods being shipped by air. Aviation is a key logistics pillar of the world's economy.

Within the aviation industry, Lufthansa had positioned itself very favorably. Judging from the airline's overall market presence, industry observers rated it as the bestpositioned carrier at the beginning of the new millennium.

Stocktaking: The Lufthansa Aviation Group, with approximately 350 subsidiary and affiliated companies, has a worldwide presence. All Group companies pursue business activities within or related to air transport and fall into one of seven business segments: Passenger Business, Logistics, MRO (Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul), Catering, Leisure Travel, IT Services and Ground Services. Their activities are supported by service and finance companies such as Delvag, Lufthansa Flight Training GmbH and Lufthansa Commercial Holding, which itself holds interests in 54 companies.

In Germany alone, people from 120 nations work for Lufthansa; this number rises to 150 worldwide. The Lufthansa Group counts 42.5 percent female employees, while women make up as much as 63.8 percent of all employees at Deutsche Lufthansa AG. Of the Group's 70,705 employees, about 43.4 percent work at Deutsche Lufthansa AG, nearly half as flying personnel. Most of the remaining employees work for one of 37 Group companies. Among these companies, the LSG subgroup has the most personnel at 13,094 employees, followed by Lufthansa Technik AG at 10,738 and Globe Ground GmbH at 6,173.

With an average age of 7.4 years, the fleet operated by the Lufthansa Group counts as one of the youngest and most environmentally compatible in world aviation. This reflects the company's philosophy of employing state-of-the-art technology in order to support marketoriented solutions.

This is why the Lufthansa Passenger Airline flies the latest Airbus aircraft and the most advanced version of the Boeing B747. In 2003, the first of ten Airbus A340-600s on order - a further development of the reliable A340 - were integrated into the fleet. Likewise, Lufthansa CityLine operates a fleet of new regional jets, featuring an average age of 4.9 years. Modern Boeing B757s and Boeing B767s make up Condor's fleet, while Lufthansa Cargo had almost completed its ambitious fleet modernization program when it took delivery of its 14th Boeing MD-11F in 2001.

This uncompromising determination to maintain the highest levels of quality is paying off. Today, the majority of Lufthansa companies occupy the top position world-wide in their respective areas of business.

75 years after being founded in Berlin, the Lufthansa Passenger Airline was the world's second-largest international carrier, boarding 125,000 passengers every day. Lufthansa Cargo was the market leader in logistics, Lufthansa Technik the number one in aircraft maintenance, and LSG Sky Chefs the world leader in catering with 365 million meals produced per year. Lufthansa Systems was active as a global IT service provider, Globe Ground offered handling services at 400 airports around the world, while C&N Touristik carried 8.2 million passengers and owned 51 hotel properties. “I think I won't overstate the case,” said Lufthansa CEO Jürgen Weber, “when I say that today Deutsche Lufthansa is a symbol for modern, environmentally aware and successfully operated air transport.”

Roll-in of Lufthansa's first Airbus A340-600. Lufthansa operates one of the youngest and most environmentally friendly fleets in world aviation.

Around the world, people from about 150 countries work for Lufthansa.

The crane, Lufthansa's corporate logo, is known worldwide for excellence in flying and technology.

Lufthansa placed a firm order for the Airbus A340-600. An advanced version of the A340, this new type of aircraft was integrated into Lufthansa's fleet from 2003.

Taking advantage of the Internet

This sums up the situation at the start of the new millennium. Lufthansa took off into the 21st century with highly ambitious goals. The company intended to be the pacesetter, if not the forerunner, in making use of information technology. IT represented the third revolution in aviation, following the switch from propeller to jet aircraft, the first revolution, and the changeover to wide-body aircraft in the early 1970s, the second.

And now: ebusiness, a road to new markets. Like almost no other industry, aviation was being influenced greatly by Internet technology. To adapt to this changing environment and benefit from this futureoriented technology, Lufthansa set up a team that presented a master plan entitled “eViation” in November 2000.

These were the goals envisaged: first, to expand online distribution channels and thus raise the share of revenues from online sales to 25 percent by 2005; second, to achieve the industry's highest levels of customer loyalty by means of exemplary customer data management and individualized services; third, to set new standards in product development by introducing “Internet on Board;” and fourth, to further decrease transaction costs and purchasing prices by using Internet platforms in a comprehensive manner.

The strategy's long-term objectives were threefold: to improve customer service, to lower operating costs and to optimize internal work processes. In November 2000, Jürgen Weber explained the new approach at the “Lufthansa//eCommerce Forum” in this way: “E-business means accepting that the focus of perception shifts from the company's preset targets to our customers. Or in the language of consultants: A company-centered 'push focus' shifts to become a customer-oriented 'pull focus.'”

Lufthansa was set to draw the obvious advantage from the dynamic changes driven by the new information and communications technologies. The company considered itself prepared for its entry into the Internet economy - unlike 70 percent of German companies at that time, which did not yet have an ebusiness strategy.

Lufthansa supports a research project headed by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), which investigates the effects that varying levels of sulfur in jet fuel have on the generation of vapor trails. For this purpose, the DLR's measuring aircraft flies closely behind a Lufthansa Boeing B737 specially assigned to this mission.

WAP technology allows access to Lufthansa flight information from mobile telephones.

On course for success

The new century got off to a great start for Lufthansa. In 2000, it was Europe's most successful airline for the fourth time in a row. Every single Group company contributed significantly to this success. In the business segment Passenger Services, Lufthansa carried 47 million passengers, 7.4 percent more than the year before. Lufthansa Cargo AG expanded and, having evolved into a global logistics provider, achieved the best result ever in its history. LSG Sky Chefs developed into the world's leading provider of catering services, with a world market share of about 34 percent. Lufthansa Technik AG successfully increased its revenue from customers outside the Group by 27 percent.

The Leisure Travel business segment also continued to expand: By completing its acquisition of the Thomas Cook tourism group in the UK, C&N Touristik AG soared to become the industry's number two in Europe. Lufthansa Systems quadrupled its result, while Globe Ground looked forward to like opportunities in handling services, given the continued growth in air transport.

These were impressive figures for the year 2000, a year characterized by a positive global business outlook darkened by the rough crash of the “New Economy,” which ruined thousands of companies and cost millions of private investors their capital. Yet despite these conditions, Lufthansa had given clear evidence of its competitive strengths.

Lufthansa in Year One of the new millennium: “We have kept our eye for what is feasible and acted in a responsible, businesslike fashion,” said Jürgen Weber, referring to the difficulties of doing business in the airline industry, an industry “affected by the world's political crises and dependent on the development of exchange rates, the price of crude oil and the ups and downs of business cycles.”

Thus, it seemed the risks of the years ahead had been identified - but not all, as later events were to show.

D-Check, Lufthansa's comprehensive cost and efficiency program: Under this concept, borrowed from aircraft overhaul, all Lufthansa Group companies are put on the test bench.

On the test bench

In 2000, cargo had its most successful year ever at Lufthansa. Freight had always been a reliable early indicator of things to come. And in spring 2001, it was air freight that first showed the effects of a downturn originating in the USA. This indicated that the business climate would develop less favorably than forecast only a short time earlier.

At this point, our senses became sharper, and our antennae went up. Ever since the company's existential crisis back in the early 1990s, Lufthansa had developed an independent culture of vigilance and internal initiatives with regard to risks and trends of change.

Thanks to these experiences and against this background of a less favorable world business development, Lufthansa launched a new cost and efficiency program covering all Group companies. Its name: D-Check. Its central goal was the Group's long-term development.

The program's very name set the tone: In aircraft maintenance, a D-check signifies the controlling and overhauling of every last detail. In the life of an airplane, D-checks are the most thorough maintenance events and include simply everything: fuselage, cabin and systems. In the process, engineers, master craftsmen and mechanics scrutinize every single component. Such checks are carried out every five to ten years. So D-Check: The entire Group was under scrutiny, on the test bench. Existing processes and procedures had to be evaluated meticulously, those found to be deficient had to be corrected and new technologies had to be introduced.

In the framework of D-Check, every company within the Group developed its own projects to contribute to the company's three main cornerstones: its customers, employees and shareholders.

The goal of D-Check was to improve the Group's financial results further. Costs were to be cut by V 1 billion by 2004. The motto for this long-term internal effort was “Maintaining Leadership” - staying in the leading position and expanding this role. At first, everything pointed to a positive development in the Financial Year 2001, meaning Lufthansa could assume an operating result of about V 1 billion. But then, the weak economic performance in the USA, and increasingly in Germany and Europe as well, exerted pressure first on the mood and later on the operating figures. An additional burden came in the form of a pay dispute with the pilots' union “Cockpit,” ultimately leading to a court judgment. All of this resulted in a profit warning.

By the middle of the year, the forecast for 2001 was down to V 700-750 million, a realistic enough assessment - until the unimaginable happened, making all the airlines' calculations worthless: September 11.

Frankfurt Airport, the day after the terrorist attacks in the USA: Due to the closure of airspace above North America, numerous Lufthansa flights are canceled on September 12, 2001.

The day that changed the world

September 11, 2001 was to be a black day in the history of the world - and in the history of aviation.

Nineteen terrorists, armed with box knives and pepper spray, took control of four US airliners. Two aircraft of United Airlines were affected, Flight 93 from Newark to San Francisco and Flight 175 from Boston to Los Angeles. The other two were American Airlines planes: Flight 11 from Boston to Los Angeles and Flight 77 from Washington to Los Angeles.

At 8.48 a.m. local time, an American Airlines Boeing B767 with 81 passengers and 11 crew members aboard crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center in New York. Almost 20 minutes later, a United Airlines Boeing B767 with 56 passengers and nine crew members aboard crashed into the second tower. About an hour after the impacts, both towers collapsed.

Later, an American Airlines Boeing B757 with 58 passengers and six crew members aboard crashed into the Pentagon, the building housing the US Department of Defense, in Washington, D.C. The fourth aircraft, a United Boeing B757 carrying 38 passengers and seven crew members crashed near the town of Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Terrorism had reached an unimaginable dimension. People around the world were in a state of shock after watching newscasts showing the horrible images. In the completely destroyed World Trade Center alone, 2,752 people lost their lives.

It was about 3 p.m. in Germany when the tragedy was announced and television stations broadcast the first attempts at explaining the atrocious events. In Frankfurt, Lufthansa immediately called a meeting of its Crisis Management Team, which continued around the clock.

On September 11, 2001, 37 aircraft carrying 6,200 passengers were rerouted to Gander as a result of the terrorist attacks. There the aircraft remained temporarily grounded.

Due to the events of September 11, 2001, takeoffs were not possible in New York: For several days, all civil air traffic above the United States was halted.

Closed airspace

In response to these acts of terrorism, the United States and Canada closed their respective airspaces. Air traffic above the Atlantic was stopped. At the time of the attacks, there were 24 Lufthansa flights above the North Atlantic, with 4,900 people on board.

Thirteen of these flights returned to Germany, while one aircraft continued its flight to Vancouver as scheduled. But ten flights with 2,100 passengers aboard were obliged to land in Canada, either in Halifax, Gander, Toronto or Montreal. While passengers and crews in Toronto and Montreal could be put up in hotels without major problems, the situation for the three Lufthansa aircraft stranded in Halifax and the four in Gander was significantly more difficult, as there were 60 to 70 aircraft of other airlines in the same predicament.

In the 1950s, Gander had been an essential stopover point for propeller aircraft flying on the North Atlantic routes. Today, it is a small town with a mere 12,000 inhabitants. Suddenly, 6,200 passengers traveling on 37 rerouted aircraft had to be provided with meals and accommodation. Yet the stranded passengers encountered selfless helpfulness everywhere. Lufthansa crews regularly looked after their passengers wherever they found accommodation, took care of catering and cleaned aircraft.

The first clearances for takeoffs were given on September 13, so that passengers in Halifax and Gander could continue their journeys. An Airbus flew from Frankfurt to Halifax and Gander, carrying 40 members of two specialized crisis management units, Lufthansa's CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management) and SAT (Special Assistance Team), technicians, a clergywoman, three physicians and seven crew members - all headed by Stefan Lauer, Lufthansa's board member in charge of Human Resources. For two days, the care teams spoke with passengers and crews. They served as “pressure valves” for anxieties and anger, listened and were simply present. Lufthansa was the only airline to fly a care team to Gander and Halifax. A second support aircraft, a chartered Lear Jet, flew in from New York City. As one passenger observed: “That was exemplary.”

Jürgen Weber thanked all Lufthansa employees for their unwavering efforts and commitment in this extraordinary situation: “All our colleagues have shown a high degree of compassion, composure and professionalism and have thus contributed to mastering this difficult situation.”

Lufthansa was the only airline to fly care teams to Gander and Halifax to look after its passengers stranded there.

“9/11” and its aftermath

The events of September 11, 2001 changed both people and the world. And international aviation had been struck to its very core. Our very perception of risk had been changed - irrevocably. For global air transport, the consequences of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington precipitated its most profound crisis since World War II.

Dramatic drops in demand had to be coped with between September 11 and the end of 2001. Passenger demand in international air transport fell by 4 percent for the full year, while cargo volume even slumped by 8 percent. The carriers represented by the Association of European Airlines (AEA) reported a 30-percent decline on North Atlantic routes alone, while demand on routes to the Far East fell by 17 percent. Increased security measures and a dramatic rise in the cost of obtaining insurance cover for its fleet led to additional burdens for Lufthansa.

World aviation's umbrella organization, the IATA, estimated that its 274 members accrued losses of US$ 15 billion, more than the entire industry had recorded in profits over the preceding 20 years. Furthermore, the crisis brought the end for some renowned carriers, including Swissair and Sabena. In the USA, many airlines only survived thanks to an aid program from the American government, to the tune of US$ 5 billion. At the end of 2001, about 2,100 passenger aircraft were grounded around the world. Around 400,000 people lost their jobs in the aviation industry.

The fourday closing of American airspace in the wake of the terrorist attacks had already meant a considerable strain for Lufthansa, both operationally and economically. During those days, Lufthansa had to cancel 223 flights. 56,000 passengers were not able to travel as planned. Many others felt so unnerved that they did not report for the flights they had booked. The number of passengers not showing up for their reserved flights was up to 50 percent higher than on normal days.

Lost revenues and additional costs for caring for stranded passengers totaled V 46 million. For the full Financial Year 2001, the burden on the Group's airlines amounted to about V 600 million.

In this dramatic crisis for world aviation, Lufthansa demonstrated the ability to act swiftly, backed by the experience gathered during the Gulf War crisis in the early 1990s. Jürgen Weber: “We have learned to be swift.” What it took the company nine months to accomplish during the crisis ten years before was now accomplished in barely nine weeks.

Fortythree jets were temporarily withdrawn from service. And a new timetable was drawn up in just a few weeks, offering 11 percent less capacity. Freezes on hiring, projects and investments were ordered, cashflow reliefs related to personnel costs were negotiated with the unions, and managers agreed to pay cuts. “As soon as the recovery begins, we'll be all ready to go. Flexible production works.”

The terrorist attacks in New York and Washington prompted intensified controls and security measures at airports around the world.

A critical test for the Group

“The most difficult year in aviation since the end of World War II,” was how Lufthansa assessed 2001 retrospectively. A single year of crisis, combined with an economic downturn and widespread restraint on the part of travelers, had wiped out all profits that the industry had generated in the preceding 20 years. Given that Lufthansa posted a loss from ordinary operating activities of V 745 million, paying a dividend was not feasible.

Lufthansa's negative financial results were significantly influenced by LSG Sky Chefs, the Group company most profoundly affected by the events of 9/11. At that time, the company was in the middle of a restructuring and integration process. The momentous drop in the number of flights and passengers, rising costs associated with the more stringent security measures and the decision by many airlines to reduce or abolish in-flight service all had long-term effects on revenues and profits. In the company's main market, the USA, where as many as 4,000 employees had to be let go, revenues fell by 30 percent from September to December compared to the previous year. In Europe and Asia, revenues fell by 15 percent over the same period.

Yet Lufthansa Technik presented an entirely different picture: The company was able to make it through the fateful year relatively unscathed to present the best result in its history. Its decision to concentrate on maintaining the most modern aircraft and engines paid off. It developed hightech projects, such as equipping the world's first intercontinental aircraft with Internet access by means of broadband technology, which turns an aircraft seat into a flying online office. In a similar vein, Lufthansa Technik developed equipment packages for VIP and business jet versions of the Airbus A319 and Boeing B737. Accordingly, the revenues of the engineering group, which strategically expanded its activities in Asia and the USA, actually rose by 25 percent in 2001.

Two corporate groups, two diametrically opposed results - in this time of absolute crisis, the Aviation Group was faced with extraordinary strains, but maintained its overall concept. After all, despite recessionary trends and the effects of terrorism, Deutsche Lufthansa AG had posted an operating result of V 28 million and was thus in a better position than the majority of its competitors.

In December 2001, the Group sent out a much-noticed signal: Acting anticyclically, it ordered 15 Airbus A380 superjumbos for delivery starting in 2007. A decision with a symbolic character: It reflected the strategic guiding principles of being the motor of a mobile society, offering toprate performance, creating value and setting standards.

A Boeing B747-400 on the apron in front of the hangars of Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg.

The first intercontinental aircraft with broadband Internet access on board, a Lufthansa Boeing B747-400.

2002: A year of restraint

The year 2002 was supposed to be a “year of transition,” a “year of reorientation,” at least that was the hope at Lufthansa. Instead, the crisis in world aviation reached deeper and deeper levels.

If one was to describe the year 2002 with a single word, it would have to be “restraint” - in Europe and America alike. Restraint in consumption, traveling and investments. A slack period all around. Only Asia provided a brighter picture.

During the year, the expected economic recovery did not materialize. On the contrary: Economic development failed to gather steam, rising unemployment figures caused insecurity among consumers, terrorist attacks and the risk of a war in Iraq further dampened people's inclination to travel. For the first time, the airlines in the Lufthansa Group recorded declining performance indicators for the second year running.

And yet: The Lufthansa Aviation Group had again proven its mettle. Lufthansa Technik and Lufthansa Systems were able to strengthen their respective market positions significantly and to achieve good results. Lufthansa Cargo suffered from the market slump and the resulting decline in demand for freight services. Despite these constraints, the company was able to defend its position in the world market. The reorganization of LSG Sky Chefs progressed well; the company achieved its targeted quarterly result.

Jürgen Weber was able to present a positive result. “Again the joint efforts of management and employees to adapt to a changed environment have paid off. Swiftly adjusting capacities to customer demand, rigorously controlling costs - and not least - the clear commitment and willingness of Lufthansa employees to accept cuts in pay have made it possible to generate a profit from operating activities of V 718 million for the year 2002. It improves on the result of the previous year by V 690 million, which puts us among the leaders of our industry.”

One of the factors behind this success was the swift, skillful adaptation of capacities to customer demand, a task of Lufthansa's Pricing and Yield Management Department. It determines fares worldwide, distributes capacities among markets and assigns available seats to different fare levels. The department's team is supported by a sophisticated electronic forecasting and management system, which provides the required data and information. The department continuously tracks the development of booking levels, so that it can adapt capacities to actual demand.

The tasks of Pricing and Yield Management also include the continuous adjustment of the optimization system. Information concerning changes in relevant parameters is immediately fed into the forecasting system. Examples include data on natural disasters, geopolitical and economic developments or a competitor's decision to withdraw from a route. For this purpose, the team is in close contact with sales and station managers at destinations worldwide. Careful monitoring of the quality of forecast results also provides important input. The central goal of Pricing and Yield Management is the profitability of Lufthansa's flight program.

The global alliance for air freight: Lufthansa Cargo, SAS Cargo and Singapore Airlines Cargo were the founding members of WOW. Soon thereafter, Japan Airlines Cargo joined the alliance.

Global alliances

In June 2002, Jürgen Weber called “the creation of high-performance alliances the real innovation of the last ten years.” In his address to shareholders, he added with some self-confidence: “We have an enormous head start in this area.” At that time, the partners of the Star Alliance operated 11,000 daily flights to 729 destinations in 124 countries.

Since its foundation on May 14, 1997, the first really global airline alliance had taken the lead among worldwide airline linkups. With regard to decisive criteria for customers, such as the size of the geographical network and market size, the Star Alliance was - and continues to be - the undisputed number one.

While cooperation and coordination covered many areas, the member airlines carefully preserved their respective identities. Experience shows that the foundation for successful joint action is a healthy balance of partnership and competition. This means that democratic recognition rather than dominance and harmonization rather than centralization shape the cooperation between the partners in the Star Alliance.

While there were only five founding members in 1997, the alliance had grown to include 14 renowned names in international aviation by May 2002. As a statement marking its fifth anniversary pointed out: “The Star Alliance's key element for success lies in the degree to which it fulfills its customers' needs concerning network size, swift transfers ('Move under one roof'), service and recognition of status. Therefore, the network's reach and depth of integration are issues that we will continue to consider in the Star Alliance.”

The era of “national carriers” was drawing to a close. During the crisis year of 2002, cooperation across the Star Alliance had gathered new momentum. To reduce costs, airport lounges and passenger handling functions were pooled - without affecting service levels available to customers - and flight offerings were coordinated even further.

A management team comprised of partner airline representatives drives the harmonization of services and systems forward. Alliance members meet several times a year - this promotes the spirit of cooperation and the sense of belonging together.

A global alliance was also formed in the area of air freight: In October 2001, Lufthansa Cargo, SAS Cargo and Singapore Airlines Cargo announced the foundation of WOW and the planned harmonization of their products. Soon thereafter, Japan Airlines Cargo became the fourth member of the cargo alliance. Joint, uniform product-and-service promises guided by the motto “Seamlessness, Safety and Control” were already being applied to three products - Express Freight, Standard Freight and the Large and Heavy Express segment. In addition, the WOW partners agreed on IT support, shared standards and handling processes to guarantee the uniformity and reliability of their services.

By cooperating closely, the partners in the WOW alliance aimed at offering their customers a significantly expanded network. And harmonizing systems ensures that express freight is carried seamlessly across the entire network of all partners.

Two MD-11Fs operated by Lufthansa Cargo: One aircraft features the livery of the cargo alliance WOW.

Avenue of the Stars: Jürgen Weber, Wolfgang Mayrhuber and Jaan Albrecht (from left) unveil a street sign on May 13, 2002 at the Lufthansa Base in Frankfurt, on the occasion of the Star Alliance's fifth anniversary.

A strong partnership: Ever since its foundation in 1997, the Star Alliance has been the leader among global airline alliances.

AIRail Service: Before boarding the ICE high-speed train in Stuttgart, passengers check in at the train station - and receive their boarding passes for Lufthansa connecting flights from Frankfurt.

Quality - a valuable good

Lufthansa has a clear concept of what flying is all about: “Flying means creating connections for our mobile society. It means offering integrated comprehensive solutions all along the service chain by taking full advantage of synergy potentials every step of the way.” Lufthansa has put its money on developing a global network and new products that offer passengers convenience and added utility. In a nutshell: It counts on quality.

In fall 2002, Lufthansa launched a comprehensive advertising campaign focussing on the concept of quality. While the Group as a whole stressed performance and quality related topics to strengthen the Lufthansa brand, the Passenger Services segment emphasized the quality of its network, service and products, together with the competitive fares it offered for leisure travelers. The campaign's slogan: “Lufthansa - there is no better way to fly.”

The campaign aimed to increase customer demand and to intensify the Lufthansa brand's emotional appeal. In addition, the campaign strove to increase customer satisfaction and raise perception of the qualities offered by Lufthansa's service.

Many elements have to be combined and orchestrated when a carrier such as Lufthansa claims leadership in the area of quality. There are the core brand values, such as technical and aeronautical competence, reliability, credibility and service.

But quality consists of countless factors. There are the multiple options for making reservations and obtaining information, available online around the clock, seven days a week. Then there are all the useful advances that have made checking in much more convenient. And there is the traditional “Little Red Riding Hood Service,” with its special assistance for children traveling on their own. Or Lufthansa's loyalty program, Miles & More. By 2002, more than 8 million customers were taking advantage of the opportunity to redeem collected flight miles for awards including flight tickets, upgrades, merchandise, travel vouchers and special experiences.

Punctuality, a very valuable good, was targeted by Lufthansa with significant investments, especially in the area of optimizing ground handling processes. Today, Lufthansa is the most punctual carrier among Europe's large airlines.

Raising quality levels continuously - also by means of ongoing control - remains at the top of the agenda. “Despite declining fares, our focus will remain on intensifying our investments in quality,” said Wolfgang Mayrhuber at the 1st Lufthansa Quality Conference in March 2004. “We will not cut back on quality.”

In this spirit, Lufthansa had launched a fleet modernization program in 2003 that would add 20 new aircraft to its fleet, including the Airbus A340-600, at that time the world's most advanced and longest passenger aircraft.

And Lufthansa invested V 300 million in improving its Business Class product on long-haul routes, an innovation unveiled at Frankfurt Airport in October 2003. The cabins of all 80 long-haul aircraft were to be refurbished step by step. This new Business Class redefined the industry standard by offering sophisticated multifunctional seats for sleeping, working and relaxing, along with “Media World,” an innovative entertainment and information program that includes a free Internet access.

“Our new Business Class opens up a new dimension for our customers,” Lufthansa explained. “We offer the greatest comfort, more space, more peace and quiet, wide-ranging options for information and entertainment, and excellent in-flight service. Our new 2-meter bed enables relaxed sleeping in Business Class. For our frequent fliers especially, we have created the optimum conditions for working, relaxing and resting - and the basis for stressfree travel. Our customers' safety, health and convenience were key criteria for the painstaking development and rigorous tests resulting in the many details featured in Lufthansa's new Business Class.”

Yet Lufthansa takes product development a step further: With its Priority Service, the airline has optimized the passenger processes on the ground for its status customers, taking advantage of modern technology - the Internet, mobile phones and selfservice terminals - to simplify reservations and ticket purchases and shorten check-in deadlines.

And we have created a special Top Customer program for the socalled HON Circle and First Class passengers. A dedicated terminal in Frankfurt, exclusive services on the ground offering individual care before departure and a special shuttle service to the aircraft are all designed to make flying with Lufthansa even more pleasant and convenient.

Lufthansa Business Class on long-haul aircraft.

Lufthansa's special care for passengers needing assistance at Frankfurt Airport.

A glimpse of Lufthansa's First Class dining service.

In the scope of its latest fleet modernization program, Lufthansa introduced the world's most modern passenger aircraft: the Airbus A340-600.

Lufthansa's strategy: Balance

By joining the “UN Global Compact” in December 2002, Lufthansa emphasized its continued commitment to fulfilling both its economic targets and its obligations concerning environmental and social issues. In this initiative, the United Nations' Secretary-General specifically calls on corporations worldwide to “favor the development and dissemination of environmentally friendly technologies.”

In 2002, Lufthansa was already able to present impressive results in environmental care. At the beginning of the new millennium, the term “balance” - that is, the balance of economy, ecology and social responsibility - became a leitmotiv in Lufthansa's way of doing business and one of the company's trademarks.

“Business success does not rule out a corporate policy geared toward sustainable development and care for the environment,” says the Corporate Mission Statement. “We are committed to maintaining a balance between them. Protecting the environment is therefore a prime corporate objective, to which we subscribe with total conviction.”

Even at that time, numerous projects across the Group were dedicated to protecting the environment - ranging from environmentally inspired modifications of modern aircraft to support for projects in research and nature conservation.

By modernizing its fleet continuously and operating aircraft with particularly low emissions values, Lufthansa has managed to decouple the growth of transport performance and environmental impact. More than half of the airline's growth over the past years could be generated without additional burdens on the environment. More exactly, the Lufthansa Passenger Airlines were able to increase their transport performance by 91.4 percent from 1991 to 2003, while their absolute fuel consumption rose by only 36.5 percent during the same period.

At the same time, specific fuel consumption continued to drop. To carry one passenger over a distance of 100 kilometers, the jets of the Lufthansa Passenger Airlines needed a mere 4.5 liters of kerosene on average in 2003. This was an improvement of 31.8 percent over 1991. In comparison with this reference year, the goal is to reduce this environmental performance indicator by a total of 40 percent by 2012.

In the area of aircraft noise reduction, too, Lufthansa has been active for many years. Among its commitments is the project “Quiet Traffic,” an interdisciplinary research project to lower trafficrelated noise emissions, partly financed by Lufthansa. Initiated by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), it aims at producing significant progress in noise reduction by intensifying the cooperation between industry, research institutions and transport providers.

Noise sources on the ground also get focused attention. Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg took a decisive step forward in this area in February 2002, when it inaugurated the world's only fully enclosed noise protection hangar for wide-body aircraft. This cut considerably the noise levels audible in the area around the airport. Now even runups at take-off power involving Jumbo Jets take place behind closed doors. In Hamburg, additional noise emissions from engine runups in the open have thus become a thing of the past.

Lufthansa also supports a range of projects carrying out basic research into the Earth's atmosphere, which aims at giving scientists an even better understanding of global climate effects. At cruising altitude, for example, three Airbus A340 long-haul aircraft continuously measure climate-relevant trace gases once per kilometer traveled.

Protecting biodiversity and conserving threatened natural and cultural landscapes are key concerns of Lufthansa's Environmental Sponsoring.

To this end, Lufthansa has supported the international work of German and worldwide environmental organizations for many years. The Aviation Group participates in numerous environmental conservation projects worldwide, such as those aimed at protecting the breeding and resting areas of cranes, the bird in Lufthansa's corporate logo.

Lufthansa supports numerous nature conservation projects aimed at protecting the breeding and resting grounds of cranes.

The crane has been Lufthansa's corporate logo ever since the company was founded.

By testing the socalled “chevron nozzle” in the context of the joint project “Quiet Aircraft,” Lufthansa and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) explored innovative ways of cutting back noise emissions from flying.

Noise-measuring flights with a Boeing MD-11 operated by Lufthansa Cargo.

Several blows in quick succession

On March 20, 2003, the first bombs fell on Iraq. American and British military forces invaded that country, following a military buildup the world public had been observing closely for months. The world had a new war on its hands - and a new politically charged trouble spot in the Middle East.

Almost simultaneously, in mid-March 2003, a physician traveling with his wife and mother-in-law from New York to Singapore, was put in quarantine in Frankfurt.

During the flight, the physician had diagnosed symptoms in himself that strongly resembled those of a patient he had treated earlier in Singapore. His illness was suspected to be Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS. The pathogen, a virus at first entirely unknown, was thought to have been carried into Hong Kong from the province of Guangdong in southern China. By July 2003, about 8,500 people had fallen ill and 812 had died in the course of the 21st century's first major epidemic. Fear was rampant.

A disastrous situation overall: a standstill in economic activity accompanied by marked restraint in business travel, a worldwide sense of insecurity as a result of the conflict in Iraq, continuing fear of terrorist threats, and finally, the SARS virus. In an interview, a Lufthansa manager summarized: “The situation was worsening every day. On our computer screens, we could observe almost hourly how bookings were falling off. Never had there been such a dramatic collapse in such a short time.”

The SARS mass psychosis, in particular, hit Lufthansa full force. It affected the Asia-Pacific region, where the airline had been especially successful thus far due to its strong commitment. On flights to Hong Kong, for example, passenger numbers fell by more than two-thirds after the outbreak of SARS.

At the end of May 2003, the world aviation association IATA reported that SARS had caused even more damage across the airline industry than the fallout from 9/11 and the war in Iraq taken together. The IATA estimated that the industry had lost in excess of US$ 10 billion in the first five months of 2003 alone. In June 2003, there were still 68 grounded aircraft across the Lufthansa Group.

As these crises tightened their grips, the Executive Board was forced to introduce additional measures. For the first time, the “crisis clause” was invoked. It permitted shortened work hours for ground staff with corresponding pay cuts from April 15 to August 31, 2003. Short-time work was in effect for cabin crews from April 1 to June 30. In May, the company negotiated crisis contributions from cockpit crews as well.

Jürgen Weber commented in his farewell speech as Lufthansa CEO: “Three crises at the same time are, indeed, a new kind of challenge.”

Nevertheless, Lufthansa stayed on course and proved its stability in turbulent times. Thanks to the company's flexibility and the employees' commitment, by the end of 2003 Lufthansa turned the first quarter's record loss of V 415 million into a modest profit from operating activities of V 36 million.

Fear of SARS: Passengers at Manila Airport wear masks.

Around the world, the SARS epidemic leads to a marked drop in bookings for air travel.

Press conference for the presentation of the annual financial statements of Deutsche Lufthansa AG on March 22, 2003 in Munich: Dr. Karl-Ludwig Kley and Wolfgang Mayrhuber.

“Lufthansa withstands the storm”

At the Annual General Meeting on June 18, 2003, Jürgen Weber handed the office of the Chairman of the Executive Board over to Wolfgang Mayrhuber.

“For my last Annual General Meeting as CEO, I would certainly have preferred a more positive outlook for the year ahead,” Weber said. “And yet, the worst is behind us, Lufthansa's foundations are holding up in this storm, and the knowledge that a capable team will guide our company's fortunes gives me a secure feeling despite this difficult situation.“

The shareholders' praise and tributes were unanimous. Under Weber's leadership, Lufthansa had evolved from a reeling state-owned company to a standard-setting aviation group, it was said. Weber, whose name stands for privatization, the Star Alliance, responsible conduct concerning the environment, had turned a “reconstruction case into a topflight company.”

Wolfgang Mayrhuber, “my helmsman on duty,” as Weber put it, had - among other tasks - headed the restructuring team that Weber had appointed in 1992. “Lufthansa's steadiness in times of crisis is in large part due to his work,” the parting CEO said.

Mayrhuber, born in 1947, had headed Lufthansa Technik for many years, as had Weber before him. “I am grateful to him for many years of intense, amicable and fruitful cooperation,” said the new CEO about his predecessor.

During his 12 years in office, Jürgen Weber had again and again given vivid descriptions of the pressing problems facing world air transport at innumerable press conferences, symposia and conventions, and had not tired of demanding solutions. From now on, it would be Wolfgang Mayrhuber's task to work patiently on finding workable responses to these diverse challenges.

Jürgen Weber had identified four major problem areas in 2003, the year of transferring office. First, the completion of liberalization and securing its desired effects over the long-term. So far, only the airlines have been liberalized. Yet these carriers have hardly any influence on 70 percent of their costs, while politicians and consumers expect them to offer tightly priced fares. The monopolistic structures of their suppliers, airports, air traffic control and other service providers still weigh too heavily.

Second, the need-oriented development of air transport's infrastructure. Weber: “The big hubs in Frankfurt and Munich in particular play an important role for the well-being of our national economy, from which we all live. For this reason, we need to be able to grow when our economy grows.”

Third, safety and security. While aviation accident statistics are ever more favorable, the threat from terrorism is on the increase. Lufthansa implements many defensive strategies; doing so costs a lot of money. “It would be fatal if two classes of airlines were to develop - those who actively participate in research and development and sink a lot of money into these efforts, and those who are just along for the ride but sell themselves to the public as clever trendsetters.”

Fourth, the call for a single set of rules for world air transport, which regulate the issues of competition, traffic rights, safety and standards on a global basis - in the in-terest of reliable civil aviation. A visionary approach, certainly. But, as the visionary himself asked, was the Star Alliance more than just a vision at the beginning of the 1990s?

Jürgen Weber hands over the controls to Wolfgang Mayrhuber, his successor and the new Chairman of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG.

Lufthansa's Annual General Meeting on June 18, 2003, which took place at the “Kölnarena” in Cologne.

Jürgen Weber saying goodbye to Lufthansa employees.

Munich: the southern hub

Mayrhuber's first official duty before a large public was the festive inauguration of Terminal 2 at Munich Airport on June 29, 2003. He said: “We have a new top address in world air transport: Munich. What has been created here is the most modern and most comfortable terminal at Europe's most advanced big airport.” The 2,300 guests-of-honor celebrating the opening were impressed by the light-flooded, generous architecture, the pleasant atmosphere and the comprehensive selection of restaurants, shops and children's play areas.

In 1998, Lufthansa had made the future oriented decision to establish a hub in southern Germany, in Munich. Since 1960, the beginning of the jet era, Frankfurt had fulfilled the function of Germany's international air transport hub, the central junction in Lufthansa's route network. But Frankfurt was reaching the limits of its capacities, a perennial problem for Lufthansa. “By following a concept of parallel hubs, we take advantage of Germany's federal structures and do not rely on a single location - as opposed to Paris and London, where a centralized setup is necessary for historical reasons,” Jürgen Weber had said.

In Munich, Lufthansa chose an innovative path: It participated in the financing of the V 1.2-billion project with a 40-percent share. This was an entirely new approach - apart from a small exception at JFK Airport in New York. The project's partners - the airport operating company and Lufthansa - were to provide their special know-how right from the start. For this reason, the joint project team counted up to 100 staff during the planning and construction phases. Lufthansa was primarily responsible for product design and process development. Flughafen München GmbH provided input on the infrastructure.

Ultimately, this strategic partnership worked better and faster than certain detractors had wanted to believe. The fruitful cooperation now continues in the shape of a joint operating company.

The Aviation Group's “Hub Munich” Representative pointed out the “product design from a customer perspective, something that had not existed up to that point. He explained: “For the first time, we have realized a product differentiation for the market segments First, Business and Economy that runs through from A to Z. This covers everything from check-in, ticketing and security checks down to the Transit Center and even the Lost and Found. In addition, we have achieved a minimum connecting time of only 30 minutes here in MUC, something no other hub airport in Europe can claim. This is possible, above all, thanks to the baggage sorting system and the design of the building's infrastructure. With regard to security, there is also something completely new: Every piece of baggage that passes through the airport's baggage system is automatically scanned at three levels of security. Turning all these innovative solutions into reality was only possible because we worked so closely with the airport to create this new terminal on a greenfield site.”

Up to 25 million passengers can arrive at or depart from Terminal 2 every year. Traffic flows pass through three levels: Departing passengers reach their aircraft on one of two levels - those passing through passport control are separated from those that do not. At each level, connecting passengers also have a total of 40 transfer counters at their disposal. The terminal has its own apron and parking stands for 75 aircraft. A total of 24 jetways are available for use here. An operations center - the Hub Control Center, a concept already tried and tested in Frankfurt - monitors all traffic at Terminal 2 and assigns aircraft to parking positions.

The Lufthansa Terminal in Munich, where a minimum connecting time of only 30 minutes has been realized - a performance unmatched by any other hub airport in Europe.

The terminal has its own apron and parking stands for 75 aircraft.

Lufthansa counters in Munich, Europe's most modern hub airport.

Up to 25 million passengers a year can use Terminal 2.

Lufthansa Regional: optimized cooperation

At the beginning of the 21st century, Lufthansa comprised three main product segments: intercontinental, continental and regional traffic.

In October 2003, regional services within the Lufthansa Group entered a new era: Under the umbrella of “Lufthansa Regional,” the partners Air Dolomiti, Augsburg Airways, Contact Air, Eurowings and Lufthansa CityLine reorganized their way of cooperating with Lufthansa. As a result, passengers traveling on regional routes are offered a comprehensive range of high-quality direct and connecting flights. The new umbrella brand is also set to become visible on the aircraft of those partners with headquarters in Germany. Systematically, “Lufthansa Regional” will appear on the fuselages in blue script on a white background. And “operated by...” will be added for each partner, in the spirit of open communications.

“Regional connections are an important part of our worldwide offering,” said Wolfgang Mayrhuber at the concept's presentation in Frankfurt. “For us and for our customers in the regions - and thus for the regions themselves - direct flights and good feeder services to the Lufthansa hubs in Frankfurt and Munich are highly significant economically. Today, Lufthansa's regional partners carry enough transfer passengers to fill as many as 19 Jumbo Jets every day. By taking advantage of transfer connections with Lufthansa and our partners in the Star Alliance, passengers from all across Germany can travel seamlessly to more than 700 destinations in 128 countries,” he added.

Lufthansa's regional segment has grown continuously since 1995. The latest restructuring aims at simplifying the cooperation between Lufthansa and the regional partners. In addition, Lufthansa Regional increases the cooperation's depth. The new system creates a powerful unit with high levels of synergy, which primarily benefits our customers.

Passengers can take advantage of a dense range of feeder flights to and from the Munich and Frankfurt hubs, decentralized direct flights to and from key business regions such as Dusseldorf and Hamburg, and network links between destinations across Germany and European destinations. Particularly, the ability to connect regions Europe-wide is one of Lufthansa Regional's special strengths.

The hallmarks of the new alliance are an optimum route network and the highest standards in safety and quality. When traveling on regional partner flights, passengers enjoy high-quality in-flight products, along with convenient services such as reservations on the Internet or at the Lufthansa Call Center, electronic tickets and mileage credits in the frequent flyer program Miles & More.

By cooperating more closely, the partner airlines - with their combined fleet of more than 130 aircraft - increase their operational efficiency: In addition to exchanging know-how, all partners benefit from joint planning for back-up aircraft, a measure that guarantees high levels of reliability in flight operations. Closer cooperation increases productivity, simplifies complex processes and helps avoid unnecessary costs. The partners strengthen their competitive position and secure jobs within the regions.

“The era of jets on regional flights, as initiated by Lufthansa, has also become a success story and will be further developed consistently. Thus, Lufthansa has retained market leadership in Europe in this segment as well,” said Mayrhuber.

Lufthansa Regional partner Air Dolomiti.

Under the umbrella of the new “Lufthansa Regional” brand, Air Dolomiti, Augsburg Airways, Contact Air, Eurowings and Lufthansa CityLine streamlined their cooperation.

Turbulences in the leisure travel segment

Condor: For millions of leisure travelers, this name steeped in tradition had stood, plainly and simply, for safe air transport, appropriate service and pleasant vacations from the 1950s onward. At the end of 1997, Lufthansa and retailer Karstadt integrated their travel subsidiaries Condor and Neckermann und Reisen (NUR) into a new company named C&N Touristik. In early 2001, C&N acquired British travel pioneer Thomas Cook - and changed its name.

From now on, the Thomas Cook brand would be used in all markets and at all levels of the touristic value-added chain for the group's own travel agencies, hotels and airlines. The new blue-and-yellow corporate design for aircraft livery left just enough space for “powered by Condor” on the fuselages.

But the stars were not to be favorable for the highly acclaimed merger of 2002, a “significant milestone” according to the Annual Report. The leisure business suffered from “weak economic performance and consumer restraint, especially in Germany,” as Lufthansa reported in 2002, boding little good for the future.

By 2003 new trends had emerged: “Customers have become more price-sensitive, make their bookings at shorter notice and increasingly create their own travel packages.” In Germany, the Neckermann brand was “rounded off in the lower price segment,” a move intended to “pave the way for new ways of pricing” - up to that point the term “low-fare airline” had been strenuously avoided.

Yet despite all its efforts, Thomas Cook was in financial distress, and generating losses for Lufthansa. Drastic cuts were unavoidable: Falling demand forced cutbacks in capacities. In January 2004, the company announced the sale of 12 Boeing B757-200 aircraft to Russian investors.

“Thomas Cook AG has thus taken the necessary steps in the face of the overcapacities on the German leisure air travel market.”

But that was not enough, and at the end of May 2004, the executive board announced a change of course: “The new Condor is back,” the media reported. And Thomas Cook Airlines again became Condor, with its name painted in large letters on the aircraft's fuselages. The goal was to take advantage of the airline's existing positive image for a new orientation in Thomas Cook's flying business. “We are evolving from a holiday airline into a leisure airline.” Condor was to become Germany's first - and so far only - airline to offer cutrate fares on long-haul routes. The socalled “seat-only” business, that is the sale of air tickets without hotel arrangements, was to increase its share from 20 to 40 percent.

The cuts needed to return to profitability were tough: increased productivity, price reductions from suppliers, cuts in personnel costs, job reductions, increased working times. The improvement in this area could be charted in positive media reports: “The reorientation of leisure airline Condor is showing signs of success. From May to September 2004, 725,000 passengers have booked a cutprice flight with the Thomas Cook subsidiary (30 percent more than during the same period the previous year).”

Thomas Cook suffered from the weak economic performance in Germany.

Thomas Cook Airlines again becomes Condor.

“We have cut costs and cleaned house”

Even the worst of crises eventually come to an end. The IATA estimated that airlines lost more than US$ 30 billion as a result of the events of 9/11. In 2003, yet another year of crisis due to sluggish economic performance, the war in Iraq and SARS, Lufthansa showed a net loss for the year of V 984 million and a paltry operating profit of V 36 million.

“We have cut costs and cleaned house, driven forward innovations for our customers and made investments for the future. Lufthansa has overcome the crisis,” emphasized Wolfgang Mayrhuber when he presented the annual financial statements for 2003. At the same time, the company also managed to reduce its debt by onehalf.

At the beginning of 2004, the CEO announced the official close of the Group's most important project in recent years. “D-Check has made an enormous contribution to the Group's development,” he said. And this applied to more than just cost cutting, as the Group-wide project also generated decisive impulses for innovation in all areas of activity.

Evaluating the more than 600 D-Check projects, dividing further into over 1,300 individual measures, revealed that 70 percent were cost-cutting projects - while 30 percent actually boosted revenue. At the Annual General Meeting 2003, Lufthansa was already able to present the achievement of D-Check's ambitious goal of

V 1 billion in additional cash flow, an important success for the airline.

In the face of the airline industry's structural crisis, however, the need to cut costs remained and continued to require cost reductions in all areas of the Group. By 2006 the company's costs were to be lowered by another V 1.2 billion, as Mayrhuber outlined. To this end, an ambitious package of measures was to be implemented, consisting of three elements: Germany's “Air Transport Initiative,” concerted action involving employer and employees, and “Future Continental.”

Costsaving potentials in the doubledigit millions for the ground handling processes at Frankfurt Airport alone - that was one of the first measurable successes of the “Air Transport Initiative.” Under the auspices of the German minister for Transport, Building and Housing, Lufthansa AG, Fraport AG, Flughafen München GmbH and DFS German Air Navigation Services joined forces in summer 2003. On the one hand, this initiative aims at stabilizing the economic foundations of air transport in Germany and Europe and lowering the cost of doing business here. On the other, it paves the way today for a leading position as the European and worldwide markets open up further tomorrow.

Lufthansa also applies consistent cost management to purchasing jet fuel. In 2003 and 2004, the world markets reacted very nervously, at times even hectically, producing new record prices. These developments pose risks for air fares as well. Airlines, including Lufthansa, have secured their positions against the caprices of the oil market by using instruments known from commodities futures transactions. These days they, too, use calls, puts, collars and swaps, to name but a few. With an annual kerosene consumption of 5.1 million tons for Lufthansa's Passenger Business alone and 6.1 million tons for the entire group, there is no other option. Lufthansa's activities in this area are seen as exemplary. Following personnel costs, fuel is the company's second biggest cost factor. In 2003, the Group spent V 1.4 billion on fuel, a decrease of 0.4 percent over the previous year. Without the use of price-hedging instruments, the Group would have had to spend V 121 million more to buy that same fuel.

In 2004, problems arose from the continued need to reduce personnel costs. In the spring of that year, Mayrhuber had called on the employees for more flexibility and productivity to keep Lufthansa competitive. He underlined that there was no alternative to the cuts envisaged - more work for the same pay. But tough rounds of negotiations continued throughout the year. By fall, there had been nearly 30 official bargaining rounds between Lufthansa and three unions concerned.

Just before year end 2004, in the context of the concerted social action project, a negotiation marathon lasting almost four days finally led to agreement on a wage settlement with the pilots' union, Vereinigung Cockpit. Lufthansa's lead negotiator, Stefan Lauer, called this settlement “an agreement on the way in which we will shape our future.” Wage negotiations between Lufthansa and Verdi, the union for the 37,000 employees on the ground in Germany, had been concluded earlier, on December 8.

“Passenger Business is the core of our activities”

At last, 2004 brought some relief for the reeling industry. Economic activity was pointing upward again, especially in the USA. The world had got used to the state of crisis in Iraq and SARS appeared to be under control. Only terrorism - as witnessed in Bali, Istanbul, Moscow and Madrid that year - continued to weigh on people's minds as incalculable and frightening.

At the beginning of the new century, air transport structures had changed. Now three distinct markets had emerged: no-frills airlines, charters and network carriers.

Lufthansa is present in all three market segments: from cutrate tickets at Germanwings and Executive Jet services between Germany and New York and Chicago to Lufthansa's First and Business Class. All our offers share the same safety philosophy and the same understanding of quality. This expanded range of products - from no-frills to the highest level of quality - is the company's response to changing customer needs.

The focus of the Group's strategy in 2004 was on profitable growth and the consistent development of the Lufthansa Passenger Business as a full-range player. “The Passenger Business is the core of our activities; it is the pivotal point and the linchpin of the Aviation Group,” said Wolfgang Mayrhuber. “Growth in our Passenger Business also means growth for the Group as a whole.”

The business model of the network carrier had proved a success - and Lufthansa made more investments. On May 24, 2004, following approval by the Supervisory Board, the Executive Board gave its assent for a capital increase of 20 percent. Wolfgang Mayrhuber: “Today, we are already very favorably positioned in the intercontinental markets. In the years ahead, this attractive market segment will experience additional growth impulses, as we will expand our fleet and introduce the Airbus A380. Our industry is poised for a transformation. Lufthansa is taking an active role in guiding and shaping this transformation, and thus sets standards for air transport in all of Europe.” And Lufthansa counts increasingly on quality, making investments in innovative products and new aircraft, such as the A340-600 or the A330-300. It also invests in a new Business Class for long-haul routes, improves existing lounges and adds new ones, and equips all Lufthansa Lounges and exclusive departure lounges with wireless LAN.

Another complex program, called “Future Continental,” aims at increasing the airline's competitiveness on routes in continental Europe. At the start of the summer timetable 2004, Lufthansa was the only airline in Europe to keep all middle seats vacant in Business Class on flights within Germany and Europe. Up to 50 percent more space, improved menus and in-flight services, and more storage room in Business Class are designed to make the stay on board even more pleasant. Added advantages are mobile check-in options, short distances on the ground and flexible fares in Business and Economy Class.

In the same spirit, Lufthansa invested V 30 million in the further development of its premium product, First Class. This move was necessary especially due to intensifying competition in Business Class, the middle of the product range. The result is a new, separate terminal guided by the motto “Top service for top customers,” where First Class passengers have enjoyed special care since December 2004.

The Club Area in Lufthansa's new First Class Terminal.

Schedule information now becomes accessible on the go - with the “Handheld” or “Pocket PC” versions available on Lufthansa InfoFlyway, the airline's Internet portal.

More space in Lufthansa's new Business Class on national and continental routes: The seat in the middle remains vacant.

Growth in the long-haul business

Lufthansa carried 50 million passengers in 2004 - safely and at high levels of punctuality. And despite drastic increases in the price of kerosene, the Group expects an operating profit in tripledigit million euro figures for the year.

“We have taken advantage of the market opportunities available to us, placed additional capacities in the market and improved the quality of our products,” said Lufthansa CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber. “High levels of adaptability, pronounced abilities to innovate and solid financial foundations all count among our Group's distinct strengths. Growth in our Passenger Business will also spur growth for the entire Group,” he said.

In the profitable long-haul business, Lufthansa intends to strengthen its position as one of the leading global network carriers in a systematic manner. With its decision to order a further seven Airbus A340-600 long-haul aircraft, Lufthansa continues its policy of opening up new destinations by deploying state-of-the-art aircraft in customeroriented, ecologically acceptable and economic ways. The A340-600 is noted for its high fuel efficiency and low emissions values. These aircraft will be delivered in 2006 and 2007.

Mayrhuber continued: “Every day, our quality products convince more and more customers. Together with our partners, we prepare ourselves for growth in specific areas. Our two hubs in Frankfurt and Munich continue to offer growth potential for long-haul routes. Lufthansa intends to strengthen its strategic position and seize opportunities. Our yardstick is and will remain profitable and market-oriented growth.”

The latest order for A340-600s is in accord with capacity planning tied to the introduction of the Airbus A380, starting at the end of 2007. As these aircraft are delivered, others in the fleet will be taken out of service. At the same time, Lufthansa ensures that it will have the available capacities needed for the demand levels forecast for the years ahead.

Since 2003, Lufthansa has been preparing with a total of 40 project teams for the new flagship of its fleet, the Airbus A380.

These teams work on technical specifications associated with flight operations, cabin furnishings, catering by means of a new type of lifttruck, in-flight service and entertainment options. Currently, planning for timesaving boarding procedures is being coordinated with about 20 airports around the world, primarily in Asia, North America and South Africa.

This also includes building new jetways. With the Airbus A380, air transport enters a new dimension; a new chapter in the history of civil aviation begins. Lufthansa is well prepared.

All the products Lufthansa offers - from Economy to Business and First Class - share the same philosophy on safety and an uncompromising understanding of quality.

New at Lufthansa from 2007: the Airbus A380, the world's most advanced wide-body aircraft.

Lufthansa’s 50th anniversary

A natural disaster overshadowed the eve of Lufthansa’s 50th anniversary year when a devastating tsunami wasted huge coastal regions in Southeast Asia on 26 December 2004. The tragic catastrophe showed how Lufthansa personnel can unite to take responsible action. In January 2005, 5,237 Lufthansa employees spontaneously responded to an appeal by CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber and devoted 13,841 work hours to aid efforts in regions devastated by the flood waves. The initiative resulted in some 300,000 Euros worth of first aid. The Lufthansa Group contributed transports of urgently needed goods and helpers to the affected areas in an airlift costing more than two million Euros. Considerable aid was also extended by Help Alliance, a recognized charitable association founded by 13 Lufthansa employees in 1999. The association is staffed by unpaid Lufthansa Group colleagues who volunteer to participate in global aid projects on behalf of people who lack the basic necessities of life. Wolfgang Mayrhuber praised the aid commitment of his employees, saying: “I am proud to lead a company in which humanity and helpfulness have such a high significance.”

The Jubilee

The biggest jubilee present to mark Lufthansa’s 50th anniversary came from the airline itself when one of its fleet’s modern medium-range jets took off in Lufthansa’s traditional colours. The Airbus A321 in the special livery applied by Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg followed the historic route of the airline’s first commercial flight 50 years to the day after Deutsche Lufthansa AG first took to the air. Special Flight No. LH1955 took off from Hamburg on 1 April 2005 and headed for Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich, accompanied by festivities at every stage. The cabin crew marked the occasion by wearing uniforms in the retro look of the 1950s.

All eyes are on Airbus A321-100 'D-AIRX' with its special paint job. It was painted in Lufthansa's traditional livery for the 50th anniversary of Lufthansa's resumption of flight operations. — All eyes are on Airbus A321-100 "D-AIRX" with its special paint job. It was painted in Lufthansa's traditional livery for the 50th anniversary of Lufthansa's resumption of flight operations.

The Integration of Swiss

On 22 March 2005, the Lufthansa Supervisory Board and the Administrative Board of Swiss International Air Lines AG wrote aviation history when they agreed to a jointly developed business plan for Lufthansa to take over and integrate the Swiss airline. The integration agreement provided for a step-by-step takeover of Swiss as well as plans to present a joint, globe-circling route network as early as the 2005/2006 winter flight plan. Key elements of the cooperation foresaw strengthening the Swiss hub at Zürich’s Kloten airport, retaining the Swiss brand name, preserving Swiss as an operative company based in Switzerland and joining the forces of both companies to create synergies and further reduce costs. In March 2005, Christoph Franz, CEO and President of the Swiss Group Management, expected savings on the yield and cost side to reach an annual 160 million Euros from 2007 onwards. The last hurdle to the integration was overcome by the approval of the European Commission and the U.S. antitrust authorities on 4 July 2005.

With the Swiss shares temporarily pooled in the newly founded Swiss company Air Trust, Lufthansa acquired an initial 11 percent stake in Air Trust. After increasing its shareholding to 49 percent, Lufthansa finally attained 100 percent ownership of Swiss on 1 July 2007. At the time of the takeover agreement, Swiss had 7,900 employees and operated a fleet of 80 aircraft, which flew a total of 9.2 million passengers to 70 destinations.

SWISS and Lufthansa aircraft at Munich Airport.

Check-in from home

Giving passengers an even faster, more convenient flying experience was the idea behind the introduction of boarding cards equipped with barcodes for do-it-yourself printing. Checking in and boarding with barcodes were novelties when they were first introduced on a test basis on the Berlin - Frankfurt route between August and October 2005. What soon became a familiar routine was a sensation in 2005. Passers flying from Berlin-Tegel to Frankfurt with an electronic ticket after checking in online printed out their boarding document themselves on an A4 sheet. Passengers with no hold luggage to declare no longer needed to visit the check-in counter and have a boarding card printed at the airport. A boarding passenger placed the barcode of his self-printed boarding card on the scanner at the gate and the IT system automatically registered him as having boarded.

In the Senator Lounge in Düsseldorf that same year, Lufthansa tested the barcode check-ins via an MMS on the passenger‘s cell phone. This was a true novelty because few cell phones of that generation could receive MMS messages.

Non-stop check-in – with a boarding pass on your mobile phone.

Profits and investments

A positive echo from the previous year ushered the Lufthansa Group into its 2006 business year – a period that would go down in corporate history as Lufthansa’s most successful year to date. The number of passengers soared to a record level, sales improved and costs stayed within budget limits, enabling CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber to present operative profits of Euro 845 million to shareholders at the 2006 annual general meeting: an increase of 46.4 percent from the previous year! The consolidated net income even soared by an impressive 77.3 percent to Euro 803 million – an absolute record. 53.4 million passengers demonstrated their trust in Lufthansa, which also gained top marks in customer satisfaction.

The good news was not restricted to Lufthansa Passage. Lufthansa Technik, Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa Systems, LSG Sky Chefs – the subsidiaries all chorused positive results. The integration of SWISS into the group also proceeded more smoothly and rapidly in 2006 than the Lufthansa Executive Board had expected. The “good news” was publicly well received and made Lufthansa an extremely attractive employer – a clear vote of confidence in Lufthansa’s future perspectives.

The world football championship in Germany from 9 June to 9 July was the dominating summer theme, both publicly and at Lufthansa. The airline even gave football a face, or rather a nose: namely, the football nose that adorned many Lufthansa jets and gained worldwide attention. A total of 50 Lufthansa aircraft with the painted black-and-white nose décor broadcast the world championships message from Germany to the whole world.

On the occasion of the World Cup in Germany, aircraft from all the Lufthansa fleets advertise the host country with a classic black-and-white football pattern.

The new Jumbo generation

Riding the waves of success, the Supervisory Board approved an order of 20 Boeing 747-8 and seven Airbus A340-600 long-range jets on 6 December 2006. Based on list prices, the combined investment volume for the two aircraft types amounted to some 6,900 million US dollars. The order made Lufthansa the launching customer for the latest version of the “Jumbo”, which is intended to close the capacity gap between the Airbus A340-600 with approx. 300 seats and the Airbus A380 with approx. 550 seats from 2012 onwards.

The Boeing 747-8 order cleared the way for continuing the past decades of close cooperation between Lufthansa and Boeing, dating back to Lufthansa’s introduction of the Boeing 707-430 in 1960. Long before the “design freeze“ of the Boeing 747-8, Lufthansa staffers were organized into working groups to join Boeing in looking for the most cost-effective, technologically advantageous layout of the latest ”Jumbo“ version. Lufthansa expects the 747-8, equipped with a new, extremely fuel-saving generation of General Electric jet engines, to achieve an average consumption of only 3.5 litres of kerosene per passenger per 100 kilometres.

Comfort on short- and medium-range flights

The installation of new seats in 142 short- and medium-range Lufthansa jets during 2006 was less spectacular but nevertheless all the more noticeable for passengers. Over a period of nine months, 210 Lufthansa Technik employees invested a total of 75,000 work hours in this mammoth project. For time and cost reasons, the refits were performed not only during unplanned downtimes at the Frankfurt Technik base but also during regular maintenance events for the Airbus and Boeing jets. Besides the replacement of seat rows, various cabin conversion jobs such as the relocation of wardrobe and toilet modules were performed. The positive impression made by the new seating complemented the new design of cabin-facing kitchen fronts. The new, lighter seats helped Lufthansa to reduce its fleet’s average consumption to 4.4 litres of kerosene per 100 kilometres per passenger in 2006. That allowed the airline to inch closer to its goal of a “3-litre aircraft“.

Expansion in China

As far back as the 1920s, the pioneers of the “old” Luft Hansa recognized the commercial potential of an air service between Germany and China. A pioneering flight from Berlin to Peking took off on 24 July 1926 and was followed by the establishment of a German-Chinese airline named Eurasia in 1930.

A new chapter of German-Chinese aviation history was opened on 22 May 2006. On that day, in the presence of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the CEOs of Lufthansa and Air China, Wolfgang Mayrhuber and Li Jiaxiang, extended by five years the Codeshare agreement reached by their airlines in the year 2000. Air China CEO Li Jiaxiang stressed the high value he attaches to his airline’s cooperation with Lufthansa, stating: “Lufthansa is the most important partner of Air China.” It was therefore a logical consequence that Lufthansa powerfully backed Air China in its wish to join the global Star Alliance airline group. The entry of Air China and that of Shanghai Airlines only a few days earlier expanded the role of the Star Alliance as the most important airline grouping in the Chinese aviation market. Wolfgang Mayrhuber expressed the conviction that the advantages Air China can offer its customers as a Star Alliance member will also benefit Lufthansa. Lufthansa and Air China jointly offered 61 weekly flights between Germany and China during their 2006 summer flight schedule. The German airline operated 38 of these flights, making Lufthansa by far the biggest operator of connections to China.

On May 22nd, 2006, Wolfgang Mayrhuber and Li Jiaxiang sign an agreement in Beijing to extend the codeshare agreement between Lufthansa and Air China.

Lufthansa’s new home

„Lufthansa has a new home address“, CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber stated on 18 July 2006 during the inauguration of the Lufthansa Aviation Centre (LAC) at Frankfurt Airport. Mayrhuber added that Lufthansa’s new home base, designed by renowned architect Christoph Ingenhoven, stands for “transparency, innovation, openness and communication“. In the first stage of construction, some 1,800 Lufthansa employees work together under one roof – more than anywhere else. Architect Ingenhoven paid particular attention to providing a transparent design that encourages openness and curiosity while offering free areas for communication and creativity. Ecological construction is another major feature. A heat-active thermal system reduces energy consumption by two thirds in comparison with a conventionally constructed building. The centre consequently gained an EU certification as a ”green building“ in 2009. Special highlights are offered by nine gardens with plants and trees from different continents, which not only provide relaxation and recreation but also function as serve as buffers against heat, coldness and noise. The architect explains that white sand beaches, Australian outback scenery, Japanese Zen gardens and pools that resemble Alpine lakes in northern Italy suggest the internationality of the Lufthansa Group.

The Lufthansa Aviation Center in Frankfurt opens officially in July 2006. It offers space for 1,800 employees on six floors.

Strong results

If 2006 had been a record year for the Lufthansa group, it was trumped by the success of 2007, with Executive Board Chairman Wolfgang Mayrhuber announcing the best operating profit in the company’s history: 1.4 billion Euros. The group result also doubled to almost 1.7 billion Euros, not least benefiting the Lufthansa shareholders, with a record dividend of 1.25 Euros.

The large percentage of premium customers particularly contributed to the positive traffic revenue in 2007. Rounding off the high end of the product portfolio, the demand for the Lufthansa Private Jet Service, the only one of its kind in the world, exceeded expectations. But Lufthansa didn’t just stop at optimising its premium services; it also offered top quality in every other segment. The low-fare “BetterFly” service, for example, had become a huge success within Europe.

Simultaneously with the group expansion at the Lufthansa hubs in Frankfurt and Munich, and the Swiss hub in Zurich, non-hub traffic also achieved pleasing results. Düsseldorf led the way in the number of non-hub destinations offered, with 55 for Lufthansa and 63 for code-share partners. As the only German port not operating as a hub, Lufthansa offered three long-haul destinations ex-Düsseldorf (Chicago, New York and Toronto) in summer 2007. The winter schedule saw Toronto replaced with Miami.

Swiss joins the Lufthansa Group

Having had the best year in its history in 2007, Swiss was completely integrated into the Lufthansa group on 1 July, and the resulting synergy effects alone exceeded expectations by half. With an operating result of 127 million Euros, Swiss contributed significantly to the group earnings, bringing with it a fleet of 81 aircraft, a strong market, and a strong brand.

There was also good news for no-frills subsidiary Germanwings, which similarly expanded and recorded 11% more passengers than the previous year – a total of approximately eight million.

Preparations for the A380

Although Lufthansa’s launch of the mega Airbus A380 was not planned until summer 2009, preparations for this major event were in full swing right across the group even in 2007. Among the highlights were four Lufthansa route proving flights, using the manufacturer’s A380 test aircraft, from Frankfurt to New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Hong Kong and Munich. These flights were of key importance to ensure the smooth running of all activities on the ground and onboard until regular Lufthansa A380 services commence – a successful practical test intended to pay off for Lufthansa two years down the track.

Having an aircraft in optimum technical condition is a basic requirement for a smooth flight, and in the Lufthansa group, this is the responsibility of Lufthansa Technik AG. Construction of the Lufthansa Technik A380 maintenance hangar at the southern end of Frankfurt airport, the future base of Lufthansa’s A380 fleet, progressed rapidly in 2007. Another A380 maintenance complex was built simultaneously for Ameco Beijing, a joint venture between Air China and Lufthansa Technik, in the Chinese capital. The Frankfurt hangar needs to be able to fit four A380s or six Boeing 747s at a time – which will make it Europe’s largest aircraft maintenance hangar. The new A380 hangar for Ameco Beijing, whose topping-out ceremony was held in September 2007, became the largest maintenance hangar in Asia. It can house two A380s and two Boeing 777s at once.

N3 Engine Overhaul Services was opened with an official ceremony, attended by Lufthansa CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber, Lufthansa Technik Chairman August Wilhelm Henningsen and Rolls-Royce CEO Sir John Rose, in the Thuringian town of Arnstadt. The joint venture between Rolls-Royce and Lufthansa Technik maintains the British Trent 900 engine, the A380 engine version chosen by Lufthansa.

The first section of the new A380 maintenance hangar is inaugurated. With a floor area of some 25,000 square meters, the hangar is large enough for maintenance work to be performed on two Airbus A380s or three Boeing 747s at the same time.

Regular passenger service testing of the A380 begins in March 2007. The super-jumbo jet is tested on the Frankfurt - New York, Chicago, Hong Kong, Washington and Munich routes.

Eco-efficiency

The start of 2007 was dominated by a public discussion on the harmful impact of air traffic on climate change. In order to show a wide audience how Lufthansa has, for many years, been involved in eco-efficiency, reducing pollutants and noise, and conducting scientific climate research, the group launched an expansive advertising campaign. As of September 2007, Lufthansa and Swiss passengers were also given the chance to compensate for their ecological fingerprint through a voluntary climate protection donation to the Swiss non-profit organisation, “myclimate”. A link on www.lufthansa.com directed passengers to the new myclimate website, whose emissions calculator provided a route-based account of the voluntary climate contribution.

80 new aircraft – 45 for the regional fleet, 32 for the A320 family, and nine A330-300 long-haul planes for Swiss – were ordered to further reduce kerosene consumption and emissions. The fleet upgrade was designed to protect the planned growth, and permanently decrease emissions. “Three-litre fleet” was the catchphrase..

The Lockheed L-1649A “Super Star” makes a return

In December 2007, the Deutsche Lufthansa Berlin-Stiftung (DLBS) Foundation purchased three Lockheed L-1649A “Super Stars” by auction. This aircraft type was not only Lufthansa’s flagship from 1958 to 1960, but also a milestone in aircraft construction – enabling the North Atlantic to be crossed in both directions, non-stop, with full payload, for the first time. The previously required re-fuelling stops in at Ireland’s Shannon or Canada’s Goose Bay had become a thing of the past.

One of the three planes purchased was selected by Lufthansa Technik to be restored to airworthy condition by the Lufthansa engineering subsidiary as the world’s final Lockheed L-1649A. The machine chosen (which would be repaired at Auburn-Lewiston Airport in the US state of Maine starting in 2007), was the former Trans World Airlines (TWA) plane, with ID N7316C. It provided the most technically solid platform for the elaborate restoration process. By the time Lufthansa Technik AG hands the “Super Star” over to the DLBS, the L-1649A will hold the highest-level airworthiness certificate and feature the latest standards in technology and safety. A highly motivated and competent team of active and former Lufthansa Technik employees laid the foundations for this in 2007.

The Deutsche Lufthansa Berlin foundation purchases three historic Lockheed L1649A 'Super Star' aircraft, which will be restored to flying condition by Lufthansa Technik. — The Deutsche Lufthansa Berlin foundation purchases three historic Lockheed L1649A "Super Star" aircraft, which will be restored to flying condition by Lufthansa Technik.

An alliance with new partners

As Lufthansa embarked on its 2008 financial year, the economic situation could not have been more challenging. The global banking and financial crisis, which started as a regional US housing crisis in the summer of 2007, was now threatening to unhinge the world economy. Things worsened further in September 2008 with the collapse of major US bank, Lehman Brothers, and a domino effect soon also saw other banks around the globe caught up in a financial maelstrom. The German banking industry was no different. A recession loomed for the leading industrialised nations, and was expected to pose big challenges for bodies like the Lufthansa management. At the airline’s annual general meeting in 2008, Executive Board Chairman Wolfgang Mayrhuber expected the following year to be one of the most economically difficult for the entire industry. And his gloomy forecast proved to be right for more than just 2009.

Despite these adverse circumstances, Lufthansa still managed to record its second best financial result in 2008. At 1.35 billion Euros, the operating profit was just slightly under the absolute record from the previous year. Passenger numbers also reached record levels. With a figure of 70.5 million, more people than ever before travelled with the Lufthansa group companies.

Holdings in the USA and Europe

2008 also set the course for several holdings and takeovers in the USA and European markets, with a view to further expanding the group network.

The 19% holding in JetBlue Airways in the USA marked the start in January. The low-cost airline based at New York’s JFK Airport operated 525 daily flights to 53 destinations in the USA and Caribbean. Almost 20 million passengers travelled on its 104 Airbus A320s and 30 Embraer 190 jets in 2007. Leather seats, each with live TVs, spacious legroom, free drinks and snacks made JetBlue very popular amongst customers, and a successful American premium carrier in the low-cost segment.

In Europe, Lufthansa management was signing contracts to prepare the gradual acquisition of Belgium’s Brussels Airlines and the integration of Austrian Airlines into the Lufthansa group. Approved by the Lufthansa supervisory board on 24 September, the takeover of Brussels Airlines sought to open up further markets for the group, particularly on the African continent. The Belgian airline had traditionally had a strong presence here, and flew to a total of 14 African destinations in 2007. It also offered connections to 50 European destinations via its hub at Brussels Airport.

In early December, Lufthansa and Austrian state holding ÖlAG agreed to fully integrate Austrian Airlines into the Lufthansa group. Subject to approvals, both Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines were to be adopted into the Lufthansa alliance, while still operating under their own brand names. A similar arrangement had previously been made with Swiss, which also became a cornerstone of the Lufthansa group in 2008, and contributed significantly to the positive operating result.

In addition to the international acquisitions and co-operations, Lufthansa also expanded its holdings in its home market of Germany. For example, Eurowings, the parent company of low-cost carrier Germanwings, became a 100% Lufthansa subsidiary following takeover of the entire AK Industriebeteiligungen equity stake.

Lufthansa entered into further partnerships in 2008 through the Star Alliance, with EgyptAir and Turkish Airlines joining the world’s leading airline alliance that year. The memberships of Continental Airlines, TAM, Air India and Brussels Airlines were also approved, but not finalised, in 2008.

On December 5th, 2008, the supervisory board of the Austrian industrial holding company ÖIAG approves the sale to Lufthansa of the 41.56% share of Austrian Airlines owned by the Austrian state.

Two familiar brands – aircraft of Lufthansa and Brussels Airlines.

At a press conference on December 14th, 2007, Lufthansa CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber, and Jet Blue CEO Dave Barger announce Lufthansa's acquisition of a 19% stake in JetBlue Airways.

Lufthansa Technik well positioned

In 2008, Lufthansa Technik AG (LHT) impressively proved that the high quality standards were not just limited to Passage. With 500 new contracts and 299 million Euros in profit (up 2% from the previous year), the engineering subsidiary recorded a very good year for itself and the group. Lufthansa Technik CEO August Wilhelm Henningsen and Lufthansa CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber were rightly proud to receive the “2008 Best European Airline MRO Operations Award”, which recognised Lufthansa Technik’s high quality standards. Lean projects and more effective production processes increased the international competitiveness of Lufthansa Technik, which, in 2008, launched new subsidiaries in Melbourne, Basel and Sofia. A new, state-of-the-art engine maintenance centre at the Lufthansa Hamburg base and the completed Airbus A380 hangar in Frankfurt was another boost for Germany, as the company’s headquarters. The A380 hangar also approached completion for the subsidiary Ameco in the Chinese capital, Beijing.

Ready for recessive times

In 2008, the “Upgrade to Industry Leadership” initiative launched the previous year saw Lufthansa staff work on some 120 projects to sustainably preserve and increase profitability, while at the same time also focusing on flexible collective agreements, a forward-thinking fleet policy, and a market-driven capacity and revenue management system. With 4,000 new staff employed in the first half of 2008, the crisis looming in the second half meant a hiring freeze was necessary. It was in the third quarter of 2008 that the financial crisis started affecting group results, prompting the Lufthansa board to revise its 2008 forecasts down during the autumn of that year. On 29 October, group chairman Mayrhuber announced to the press that the previous year’s operating result, which they had planned to repeat, would not be reached. At the end of the financial year, the Lufthansa management consequently curbed the growth spurt of the previous few months, so as to be prepared for the turbulent times to come.

The consequences of the financial crisis

International air traffic was hit with the full force of the negative effects of the worst global recession since the end of the Second World War in 2009. According to information from the international airline trade association, IATA, member airlines recorded an average fall in demand of four per cent in passenger volumes and 13 per cent in the freight sector.

After the record results of the previous years, Lufthansa had to post a painful collapse in the consolidated result to minus 112 million euros. Nevertheless, in comparison with some competitors, the Group also remained financially and strategically independent and capable of acting, including during the recession. In order to keep Lufthansa Passage on course, even in turbulent times, the Group applied the earnings safeguarding programme “Climb 2011”, which was intended sustainably to reduce the costs basis by a billion euros by the end of 2011. This meant not only cutting 400 jobs in administration, but also projects to reduce costs in purchasing, a changed fleet structure, more flexible capacity management and raising productivity.

Farwell to the Airbus A300

Many Lufthanseaten wistfully followed the farewell to a much-loved aircraft type: the Airbus A300-600. At 9:07 on 1 July 2009 the last circuit of an A300-600 in line operations at Lufthansa ended. Numerous Lufthanseaten took the opportunity to say goodbye to “their” plane at a final ceremony in Hall 5 of Lufthansa Technik in Frankfurt. Since the introduction of the first A300-600 at Lufthansa in March 1987, the fleet flew a distance equivalent to going round the earth 8,560 times. With the decommissioning of the last A300-600, with the registration number D-AIAM, the era of the first Airbus generation at Lufthansa also ended. It had begun in 1976 with the commissioning of an A300B2. Continually further developed, the Airbus A300 was among the pioneers of today’s high-tech cockpit. Thus the decommissioning of the A300-600 was also the finale of a very special piece of Lufthansa history.

Perhaps an exciting look into the future made the farewell easier for some Lufthanseaten. Because on 6 October the first exemplar of the new Lufthansa flagship, an A380-800 with the registration number D-AIMA, first took to the air in Toulouse in France. A few days after its first flight, “Mike Alpha” was transferred to the Airbus plant in Hamburg-Finkenwerder, where it received its interior fittings in the Lufthansa design and its external livery.

Expanding the Airline Group

Saving and simultaneously investing in the future. The investments, which were started in the previous year and finally completed in 2009, in Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and British Midland, were made under this motto. A start was made with the Belgian investment, when the European Commission gave its approval to the planned merger of Lufthansa and Brussels Airlines on 22 June and thus paved the way for the acquisition of initially 45 per cent of the shares in the Brussels Airlines parent company, SN Airholding SA/NV. The EU Commission opened up the prospect of Lufthansa then also taking over the remaining 55 per cent of the shares, and thus Brussels Airlines in full, in three years in 2011. From as early as 15 July Lufthansa and Brussels Airlines offered common code sharing flights on long-haul routes. A start was made with one African destination each; one from Brussels Airlines (Entebbe) from Brussels and one from Lufthansa from Frankfurt (Libreville). In order to simplify transfers between both airlines at the Lufthansa hub Munich, Brussels Airlines also moved into Terminal 2 of the Southern German airport, exclusively used by Lufthansa and its Star Alliance partners, in July. The transfer of the Belgian airline’s “Privilege” bonus programme into the Lufthansa frequent flier programme Miles&More also had its focus on the customer. This was carried out with the retention of collected miles and recognition of the customer status of “Privilege” participants.

In Germanwings Miles & More received a further partner in December 2009. The low-cost airline had already been sold by Eurowings Luftverkehrs AG to Deutsche Lufthansa AG, which had since managed its subsidiary under the umbrella of Lufthansa Commercial Holding.

After a so-called “detailed anti-trust review” of the merger of Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines by the EU Commission reached a positive decision, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Österreichische Industrieholding AG were able to announce the successful takeover of AUA by Lufthansa on 3 September. The traditional Austrian airline thus became part of the Lufthansa Group.

The consolidation in the European air traffic market driven forward by Lufthansa came to a provisional end in 2009 with the complete takeover of British Midland (bmi). The purchase was completed after the British investment entity of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, “LHBD Holding Limited”, took over the 20 per cent of bmi shares previously held by the Scandinavian airline, SAS. In parallel to the full acquisition of bmi, Wolfgang Prock-Schauer was appointed as the new Deputy CEO of British Midland.

2 February saw the start of the Lufthansa spin-off Lufthansa Italia, which was intended to serve the Italian air traffic market even more intensively. The maiden flight went from Milan-Malpensa Airport to the Spanish port city of Barcelona. Six Airbus A319s were initially used from Milan to eight new non-stop connections within Europe. Just two months later, the fleet was supplemented by two additional A319s. These made it possible for Lufthansa Italia to serve internal Italian routes from Milan to Rome, Naples and Bari.

SWISS, which also contributed a positive result of 93 million euros to the consolidated result in 2009, once again positioned itself as the primus in the Airline Group. On 10 March the Lufthansa Supervisory Board approved an order of 30 short-haul jets of the latest generation to renew the SWISS fleet. In 2016, it is intended to add aircraft of the Bombardier C-Series type, equipped with extremely quiet and economical power plants, to the SWISS fleet and replace the regional fleet of the Avro RJ100 type.

On July 1st ,2009, Lufthansa acquires from Sir Michael Bishop a controlling interest of 50% plus one share of British Midland Plc. (BMI). Together with Lufthansa's existing holdings, Lufthansa now controls 80% of BMI's shares.

On January 1st, 2009, Eurowings Luftverkehrs AG sells its stake in Germanwings to Deutsche Lufthansa AG.

AeroLogic, an air freight line operated jointly by Lufthansa Cargo and DHL, commences operations in June 2009.

Airfreight market in crisis

The airfreight sector was particularly hard hit by the plunge in growth in 2009. Hardly any other part of the air traffic sector feels when the world economy is stuttering as quickly and intensively as the cargo carriers – and that trade flows between nations and continents are slowing down.

The world economic crisis also did not pass Lufthansa Cargo AG by without dramatic effects. Lufthansa Cargo’s revenues collapsed by almost a third in 2009 and the operating loss climbed to 171 million euros. The freight management reacted to this by taking part of the freighter fleet out of service and with short time working for cargo employees. In November 2009, three Lufthansa Cargo Boeing MD-11 freighters were already standing mothballed in the Californian desert, waiting for better times.

In addition to all the bad economic news, however, there was also a reason to celebrate at Lufthansa Cargo. On 29 June, AeroLogic, a joint venture between DHL Express and Lufthansa Cargo, started with its first flight to Asia. Twin engine brand new Boeing 777 freighters were used. AeroLogic planned to station up to eight of these extremely quiet and economical wide-body jets at its hub at Leipzig-Halle Airport.

Commitment to social media

Lufthansa has increasingly focussed on a presence in social media. Whether in the online network for business contacts, XING, or in the short message services Twitter. Lufthansa tapped new, contemporary communications paths to announce new products and to make contact with its customers. Thus it was intended to use the German language XING network primarily to present products that could be of interest to “online-minded” business travellers. Such as, for example, the introduction of the mobile boarding card in long-haul traffic. Initially offered on the route between Frankfurt and Vancouver in Canada from 2 April, the service was quickly extended to other long-haul routes.

Ecological responsibility

The 2009 financial year was once again characterised by a sustainable commitment by Lufthansa to climate and environmental protection. It was honoured by the European Commission for this on 2 February. The crane’s new home, the Lufthansa Aviation Centre (LAC) built deliberately to be energy efficient at Frankfurt Airport, could officially call itself a “Green Building” from then on.

To make it easier for passengers to compensate individually for the carbon dioxide emissions caused by burning kerosene aviation fuel, Lufthansa intensified its cooperation with the Swiss foundation myclimate. It was possible for passengers to compensate for their CO fingerprint with bonus miles from the frequent flier programme, Miles&More, from 25 September. The myclimate foundation received the corresponding amount of money from Miles&More and invested this in climate protection projects.

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Tante Ju

New Economy Class fares for European routes

The launch of the new Eurowings

Acquisition of the first A320neo

With biokerosine from Oslo

Satellite terminal at Munich Airport

Joint Venture with Air China

Acquisition of the first A350

Ulrik Svensson becomes Chief Financial Officer

Acquisition of Brussels Airlines

Cooperation with Etihad

Contract for the purchase of parts of the Air Berlin Group signed

Lufthansa is the only European five-star airline

Lufthansa presents new brand design – origin meets future

Lufthansa stations five Airbus A380s at Munich Airport

1926 -1950

The history of first Lufthansa from the origins until 1945

The 1950s

A new beginning: Starting over with fresh spirit

The 1960s

Jets replace propellers: Time savings on all routes

The 1970s

Despite several crises: Flying in wide-body dimensions

The 1980s

Global challenge: Competing for customers

The 1990s

From airline to Aviation Group

The 2000s

Taking off into the new millennium

The 2010s

The Lufthansa Group: Mobility and ecological efficiency

It was only at the beginning of the last century that the human race first began to see its dream of flight come true. The pace with which international aviation has developed since then is truly fantastic, and German aviation played a significant role in this grand adventure.

A pioneering era: from adventure to routine operations

Growing trust: Further, faster and more comfortably

The war years: The fight for survival

Nucleus for rebirth

Theory and practice

“Chocks away!”

First flights

Rapid reconstruction

Highest standards of service

Two, side by side

Planning for the jet age

Jets replace propellers: Time savings on all routes

Stepping into the jet age

Frankfurt now the focus

Flying becomes more affordable

Lufthansa becomes profitable

Technical competence

Progress in air cargo

Time-saving electronics

Parent and offspring

International cooperation

Despite several crises: Flying in wide-body dimensions

A shift in thinking

New dimensions

The art of survival

Planning to secure the futuree

Global challenge: Competing for customers

Liberalization creates dynamic markets

Growth areas viable and correct

Internal problems

International cooperation

Quality in all areas

Prepared for the competition

From airline to Aviation Group

Return to Berlin

A serious crisis

Alliance and privatization

A new kind of Lufthansa

On course for success

From airline to Aviation Group

The dream of flying

Taking off into the new millennium

Taking off into the new millennium

Lufthansa 2000

Taking advantage of the Internet

On course for success

On the test bench

The day that changed the world