Lufthansa

On October 6, 1926, Lufthansa, originally founded as Deutsche Luft Hansa by a group of aviation enthusiasts in Berlin, operated its first flight from Hamburg with two passengers and mail onboard.

In April 1928, the Luft Hansa pilot Hermann Köhl, Ehrenfried Günther Freiherr von Hünefeld, and Irish pilot James Fitzmaurice made the first east-west crossing of the North Atlantic Ocean from Baldonnel Aerodrome in Ireland to Greenly Island, Canada using the Junkers W 33 aircraft Bremen.

In 1930, Lufthansa launched its first long-haul flight from Berlin to Rio de Janeiro, marking a significant milestone in the airline's history.

In 1933, the airline's name was changed to 'Lufthansa' and it continued to expand its routes across the Atlantic and to the Far East before World War II.

In 1934, the first regularly scheduled airline service across an ocean in the world was inaugurated after years of testing. The route used Wal flying boats initially, which were later replaced by the Dornier Do 18 in 1936 for operations in non-visual conditions.

In 1937, Sociedad Ecuatoriana de Transportes Aéreos (SEDTA) and Lufthansa Perú were founded as Luft Hansa co-operations in Ecuador and Peru respectively. They operated Junkers W 34 aircraft, strengthening Luft Hansa's presence in the South American market.

In 1938, the Focke-Wulf Fw 200 long range aircraft was introduced by Luft Hansa, enabling non-stop flights between Berlin and New York and from Berlin to Tokyo with only one intermediate stopover. This marked a significant milestone in long-distance air travel.

On 1 April 1939, Deutsche Luft Hansa launched scheduled transatlantic flights to Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, and Santiago de Chile using Fw 200 aircraft. This expanded the airline's route network to include South American destinations.

Lufthansa was founded on January 6, 1953, in Cologne, West Germany as Aktiengesellschaft für Luftverkehrsbedarf. The company was established by former staff of Deutsche Luft Hansa, Germany's national airline founded in 1926.

In March 1960, Lufthansa introduced the Boeing 707 on its North Atlantic routes, marking the start of the jet age for the airline. This transition significantly sped up flights across the Atlantic.

On February 19, 1965, Lufthansa became the launch customer of the Boeing 737, ordering 21 units of the twinjet.

On 28 January 1966, Lufthansa Flight 005 crashed 0.5 kilometers short of Bremen Airport, killing all 42 passengers and 4 crew members on board. The crash occurred during a go-around attempt, possibly due to pilot error.

On December 28, 1967, Lufthansa received its initial 737-100, becoming the first carrier outside the United States to launch a new Boeing aircraft.

The wide-body era for Lufthansa commenced with a Boeing 747 flight on 26 April 1970, marking a significant milestone in the airline's fleet modernization and expansion.

The addition of 747s in 1971 contributed to Lufthansa's rise as one of the top airlines globally in terms of passenger traffic and revenues.

On 12 November 1973, Lufthansa introduced the DC-10-30, further diversifying its wide-body aircraft fleet and enhancing its operational capabilities.

On 17 December 1973, a Lufthansa Boeing 737-100 was hijacked at Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport in Rome by Palestinian terrorists, leading to a multi-airport ordeal that ended at Kuwait International Airport the next day.

On 20 November 1974, Lufthansa Flight 540, a Boeing 747-100, lost power and crashed shortly after take-off at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, resulting in the deaths of 55 passengers and 4 crew members. It was the first air accident involving a Boeing 747.

The hijacking of the Landshut occurred on 13 October 1977, during the German Autumn, when a Boeing 737-200 was hijacked en route Flight 181 from Palma de Mallorca to Frankfurt by terrorists of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

On 11 December 1978, Lufthansa was the victim of a major heist at John F. Kennedy International Airport, resulting in a loss of about $5 million American Dollars.

On 26 July 1979, Lufthansa Flight 527 crashed into a mountain 25 kilometers from Galeão Airport during initial climb, killing the three crew members on board. The crash was attributed to a flawed communication between the pilots and the air traffic controller.

In 1982, 80% of Lufthansa's stock was owned by the West German government. The airline was elected as the airline of the year by Air Transport World.

On 29 June 1985, Lufthansa initiated a fleet modernization programme with orders for Airbus A320s, Airbus A300-600s, and Boeing 737-300s, reflecting the airline's commitment to upgrading its aircraft fleet.

In 1986, Lufthansa made history by training the first two female pilots, paving the way for gender diversity in the cockpit. This milestone marked a significant step forward in aviation inclusivity.

Lufthansa started operating flights to Berlin on October 28th, 1990, following the reunification of Germany. This marked the airline's entry as the flag carrier of a reunited Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

On February 11, 1993, Lufthansa Flight 592 from Frankfurt to Addis Ababa via Cairo was hijacked by Nebiu Zewolde Demeke, who intended to seek asylum in the United States. The hijacking ended peacefully with no harm to passengers or crew members.

On 14 September 1993, Lufthansa Flight 2904 overran the runway at Warsaw-Okecie Airport, crashing into an earth embankment and resulting in the death of the co-pilot and one passenger. The Airbus A320-200 was flying from Frankfurt to Warsaw.

Lufthansa joined Air Canada, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International, and United Airlines to establish the world's first multilateral airline alliance known as Star Alliance.

Facing economic challenges, Lufthansa implemented a restructuring program in 2012 called SCORE, which included significant job cuts and the transfer of short-haul flights to its low-cost carrier Germanwings.

On June 1, 2012, Lufthansa conducted the inaugural flight of the world's first Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental passenger aircraft, marking a milestone in aviation technology.

In September 2013, Lufthansa Group announced its largest order for 59 wide-body aircraft and valued at over 14 billion euros. Additionally, earlier in the same year, Lufthansa placed an order for 100 next-generation narrow-body aircraft.

In November 2014, Lufthansa signed a $1.25 billion outsourcing deal with IBM for the takeover of the airline's IT infrastructure services division and staff.

On 22 March 2016, Lufthansa ceased operations of Boeing 737-500 aircraft. The airline's last Boeing 737-300 was retired on 29 October 2016 after almost 50 years of service.

On December 4, 2017, Lufthansa became the first European airline to achieve the prestigious Skytrax 5-star certification. This recognition was primarily due to the unveiling of a new Business Class cabin and seating set to debut in 2020.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, on March 19, 2020, Lufthansa halted 95% of its flights following travel restrictions. The airline faced substantial financial losses, amounting to 1 million euros per hour by April 2020.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG shareholders sanctioned a €9 billion bailout on June 25, 2020, involving capital measures and government intervention. This decision granted the state a 20% ownership stake in the airline.

On March 30, 2023, Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr visited ITA Airways headquarters in Rome to discuss a deal to purchase a stake in the Italian airline. The negotiations started at around €200 million for 40% of the airline, with a potential option to acquire the entire company from the Italian finance ministry.

On May 25, 2023, Lufthansa finalized a deal to purchase 41% of ITA Airways for €325 million. The agreement also includes an option for Lufthansa to acquire the remaining shares based on the airline's profitability. As part of the deal, Rome will become a hub for the Lufthansa Group, with Milan also under consideration.

On June 1, 2023, Lufthansa started operating its A380 aircraft on revenue flights from Munich to Boston. The flight duration was 7 hours and 22 minutes.

On October 23, 2023, Lufthansa put D-AIMN back into commercial service with its first flight from Munich to New York JFK. Currently, Lufthansa operates 4 A380 aircraft commercially.

On February 21, 2024, Lufthansa faced a lawsuit from a man who suffered a back fracture due to severe turbulence during a flight in March 2023.