Lufthansa celebrates 100 years today, Monday, April 6, 2025 since a Luft Hansa aircraft took off for the first time; and the airline joins a growing select group of other airlines which are now part of the elite century club of continuously being in business.
Lufthansa Celebrates 100 Years Today.
Although Deutsche Luft Hansa Aktiengesellschaft was founded on Wednesday, January 6, 1926, its operations began with its first flights from Berlin-Tempelhof airport on Tuesday, April 6, 1926: A Fokker Grulich F II airplane took off from Berlin-Tempelhof Airport bound for Zurich; and a Dornier Komet III D-580 airplane took off for Cologne. The flight to Zurich carried a newlywed couple; while the flight to Cologne had only a single passenger.
The modern entity that is officially known as Deutsche Lufthansa Aktiengesellschaft was founded as Aktiengesellschaft für Luftverkehrsbedarf — or Luftag — on Tuesday, January 6, 1953 by staff of the aforementioned former Deutsche Luft Hansa airline.
Lufthansa joins the growing list of companies which have celebrated 100 years in business:
- Delta Air Lines
- Finnair
- Qantas Airways
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
- Hilton
- The Hertz Corporation
- The Boeing Company
- British Airways
- Commercial aviation itself
- Nathan’s Famous frankfurters
- Grand Central Terminal in New York
- The Canarsie Courier in Brooklyn
- The National Park Service of the United States…
…and even though it is not a company, let us not forget 100 years of the “Mile High Club”.
Final Boarding Call
Additional information pertaining to the history of Lufthansa over the past 100 years is found at this special Internet web site which commemorates the anniversary.
Congratulations to Lufthansa for being in business over the past 100 years. May your next 100 years be even more successful.
All photographs ©2014, ©2015, and ©2026 by Brian Cohen.
