Lufthansa

History

The original Deutsche Luft Hansa was founded in 1926 through the merger of two German airlines, but it was liquidated in 1951 due to its Nazi-era associations. A successor company, Aktiengesellschaft für Luftverkehrsbedarf, was founded in January 1953, took on the Lufthansa name and logo in 1954, and began flight operations in April 1955, re-establishing German commercial aviation after the post-war ban. Lufthansa was a founding member of Star Alliance when it launched in 1997. Lufthansa's IATA code (LH) covers both its passenger operations and its dedicated freight division, Lufthansa Cargo.

Current Operations

Lufthansa's passenger operations run from twin hubs at Frankfurt and Munich, covering a broad short/medium-haul European network alongside extensive long-haul routes on widebody Airbus and Boeing aircraft, with narrowbody Airbus A320-family jets on shorter sectors; it has also reactivated part of its previously stored Airbus A380 fleet. Lufthansa Cargo operates a dedicated freighter fleet out of Frankfurt. As the core airline of Lufthansa Group, Lufthansa passenger operations sit alongside sister carriers such as Swiss, Austrian, and Brussels Airlines; the Group also took a 41% stake in Italy's ITA Airways in 2023, with an option to take full ownership.

Last verified 2026-08-22· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.

Serves These Profiled Airports126

Sample Routes8