Lufthansa is celebrating a century of aviation history on Easter Monday, 6 April 2026, by recreating the very first flights operated by its predecessor, Lufthansa, exactly 100 years ago.
The German carrier is marking the milestone with a series of commemorative events centred on Berlin, where its original inaugural flights departed in 1926. The anniversary programme blends symbolism and spectacle, retracing historic routes while showcasing the airline’s modern fleet and global reach.
Recreating the first journeys
At the heart of the celebrations are two special flights departing from Berlin in the afternoon, mirroring the airline’s first routes to Zurich and Cologne.
In 1926, these journeys were operated using small aircraft with only a handful of passengers. One flight famously carried a newlywed couple, while another had just a single traveller on board.
A century later, the contrast is striking. Lufthansa will deploy a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and an Airbus A350-900, both featuring a special anniversary livery with an oversized white crane on a blue background, symbolising the airline’s centenary.
The two aircraft, operating as flights LH1926 and LH2026, will take off simultaneously at around 3:00 pm. While today’s versions will fly direct, they will pass over the same cities that served as stopovers in 1926, including Halle, Erfurt, Stuttgart and Magdeburg, offering a symbolic link between past and present.
Tickets for the flights sold out within days, underlining strong public interest in the historic occasion.
Celebrations in Berlin and beyond
The commemorations begin earlier in the day, with two long haul aircraft departing from Lufthansa’s main hubs in Frankfurt and Munich to Berlin, carrying more than 400 invited guests, including employees, partners, journalists and aviation influencers.
A formal ceremony is scheduled at Berlin Brandenburg Airport, where more than 600 guests are expected to attend. The event will reflect on the airline’s evolution from its early beginnings to its position today as one of Europe’s leading aviation groups.
Large crowds are also anticipated at the airport’s visitor terrace, as well as in Zurich and Cologne, where aviation enthusiasts and plane spotters are expected to gather to witness the anniversary flights.
The original departures took place from Berlin Tempelhof, once one of Europe’s most iconic airports. Although operations have long since moved to Berlin Brandenburg, the symbolic return to the German capital underscores Lufthansa’s historical roots.
🎂🥂On this day, 100 years ago – The very first flight of the original Luft Hansa took off on April 6, 1926, departing from Berlin Tempelhof Airport for Zurich.
— Air Safety #OTD by Francisco Cunha (@OnDisasters) April 5, 2026
And that´s why we have been getting this great-looking Lufthansa "100th anniversary livery" gracing our feed for the… pic.twitter.com/wkKV2rM4kJ
From modest beginnings to global carrier
The anniversary highlights how far commercial aviation has come over the past century. What began in 1926 with small aircraft and minimal passenger numbers has evolved into a global network connecting millions of travellers each year.
The Lufthansa Group now operates a fleet of more than 700 aircraft across its airlines, carrying over 120 million passengers annually and connecting Europe with destinations worldwide through its major hubs in Frankfurt and Munich.
