Lufthansa marked 100 years on April 6, 2026 with a full day of anniversary events in Berlin, the city where the airline’s first flights began in 1926. The date carried extra weight for the company because it was exactly 100 years since the first “Luft Hansa” flights departed from Berlin-Tempelhof to Zurich and Cologne.
The celebration began in the morning with two long-haul aircraft flying into Berlin from Lufthansa’s hubs in Frankfurt and Munich. A Boeing 787-9 and an Airbus A350-900, both painted in the airline’s blue anniversary livery with a white XXL crane, carried hundreds of Lufthansa employees and their partners to the capital. The passengers had won seats through an internal company raffle, giving them the chance to join the anniversary event in person.
More than 600 guests attended the celebration in Berlin, including passengers from the two special flights as well as invited guests from politics and aviation. Berlin Governing Mayor Kai Wegner was among those present. One of the main moments of the event came when the Boeing 787-9 in anniversary colors was officially named “Berlin.”
Jens Ritter, CEO of Lufthansa Airlines, emphasized in his speech: “Today, Lufthansa is celebrating its birthday! Driven by a pioneering spirit and passion, it all began here in Berlin. Exactly 100 years ago, the first flights of the original Lufthansa took off from here. Today, Berlin is one of our company’s largest locations. Around 2,000 Lufthansa employees live and work in the capital region. Lufthansa and the Group’s airlines will remain strong partners in Berlin in the future.”
Kai Wegner, Governing Mayor of Berlin, emphasized in his welcoming remarks: “100 years of Lufthansa is an impressive anniversary. On April 6, 1926, two flights departed from Berlin to Zurich and Cologne, thereby establishing Lufthansa’s long-standing connection with Berlin. To this day, Lufthansa remains an outstanding partner for Berlin – and I am delighted that, on the occasion of this special anniversary, we are naming the Boeing 787-9 ‘Berlin.’”
Historic routes were flown again
Later in the afternoon, the anniversary moved from the ceremony to the sky. At around 3:15 p.m., the newly named Boeing 787-9 and the Airbus A350-900, registered as D-AIXL, departed Berlin for Zurich and Cologne, recreating the airline’s first routes from April 6, 1926.
The two flights also followed the same historic path in a modern way. The Boeing 787-9 flew from Berlin to Zurich via Halle, Erfurt, and Stuttgart, while the A350-900 flew from Berlin to Cologne via Magdeburg. Unlike the original flights, the aircraft did not stop along the way. These cities were used only as waypoints in the air. Lufthansa also gave the flights special numbers, LH1926 and LH2026, to match the anniversary.
Berlin still holds a central place in Lufthansa
The event also underlined how important Berlin remains to Lufthansa today. The airline said the first Lufthansa was founded in Berlin on January 6, 1926. A century later, the Lufthansa Group says it is one of the four largest airline groups in the world and the largest in Europe. In Berlin, the group says it holds a clear market lead, with around 30 percent of all flights in the capital operated by airlines within the group.
The Berlin celebration was one of the main public moments of the anniversary year, but not the last. Lufthansa said the ceremonial highlight of its 100th anniversary year will take place on April 15 in Frankfurt, where German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is also expected to attend an event at Lufthansa Group Hangar One at Frankfurt Airport.
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