Lufthansa Celebrates Centennial Anniversary with Historic Flight Reenactments from Berlin to Zurich and Cologne

(IN SHORT) Lufthansa will celebrate its 100th anniversary on April 6, 2026, by recreating the airline’s first-ever flight routes from Berlin to Zurich and Cologne. Using modern aircraft such as the Boeing 787-9 and Airbus A350-900, the airline will conduct commemorative flights that symbolically follow the original 1926 paths. The event will include a large ceremony at Berlin Brandenburg Airport, attended by hundreds of guests, along with strong public interest from aviation enthusiasts. The initiative reflects Lufthansa’s effort to honor its historical roots while showcasing its modern fleet and global presence.

(PRESS RELEASE) COLOGNE, Germany, 2026-Apr-3 — /Travel PR News/ — Lufthansa is set to commemorate a century of aviation history with a series of special flights and celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of its first operations. On Easter Monday, April 6, 2026, the airline will recreate the routes of its inaugural flights from 1926, offering a symbolic tribute to its origins.

The anniversary programme includes two historic route reenactments departing from Berlin, echoing the very first journeys operated by the original “Luft Hansa” on April 6, 1926. Back then, aircraft departed from Berlin-Tempelhof toward Zurich and Cologne, carrying only a handful of passengers.

To mark the occasion, Lufthansa will operate two modern long-haul aircraft to perform these commemorative flights. A Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and an Airbus A350-900 will first bring more than 400 invited guests—including employees, partners, media representatives, and influencers—from Frankfurt and Munich to Berlin. Both aircraft feature a special anniversary livery, highlighting Lufthansa’s 100-year milestone with a distinctive blue design and white crane emblem.

The celebrations will be centred at Berlin Brandenburg Airport, where more than 600 invited guests are expected to attend a ceremonial event. Aviation enthusiasts and spectators are also anticipated to gather at the airport’s visitor terrace to witness the historic flights.

In the afternoon, the two aircraft will depart simultaneously from Berlin at approximately 3:00 p.m., retracing the routes of the original 1926 flights. The Boeing 787 will operate the journey to Zurich, while the Airbus A350 will fly to Cologne. Although modern aviation no longer requires intermediate stops, the flights will symbolically pass over the original waypoints, including cities such as Halle, Erfurt, Stuttgart, and Magdeburg, reflecting the historic journey paths.

The original flights in 1926 were modest in scale, with one carrying only a newlywed couple and the other a single passenger. In contrast, the centennial flights have generated strong interest, with tickets selling out within days and large numbers of aviation fans expected not only in Berlin but also in Zurich and Cologne.

Through this anniversary event, Lufthansa highlights both its heritage and its evolution into a global airline, bridging the past and present with a unique aviation experience.

Media Relations:

Lufthansa Group – Germany
newsroom.lufthansagroup.com
lufthansa-group@dlh.de
+49 69 696 2999

SOURCE: Lufthansa Group