Aviation History
Luxembourg's passenger aviation dates to Luxembourg Airlines, founded in 1948 and reorganized as Luxair in the early 1960s, which remains the country's sole scheduled passenger carrier. Far more globally significant is Cargolux, founded in 1970, which grew from a single freighter to become one of the largest all-cargo airlines in the world and a Boeing 747-8 Freighter launch customer — making tiny Luxembourg a major hub of international air cargo.
The country's first airline was established, laying the foundation for what would become Luxair.
The carrier was reorganized and renamed Luxair, opening a Luxembourg–Paris route with a Fokker F27 Friendship.
Cargolux Airlines International was established in March 1970 by Luxair, the Salen Shipping Group, Loftleiðir and private investors, starting cargo operations that May with a single Canadair CL-44 freighter flying Luxembourg–Hong Kong.
Cargolux took delivery of its first Boeing 747 freighters, beginning its transition to modern widebody cargo aircraft and a route network now spanning some 90 destinations.
Cargolux became the launch customer for the Boeing 747-8 Freighter, receiving its first aircraft on 12 October 2011.
The Luxembourg government acquired Lufthansa's 13% stake in Luxair, becoming the airline's majority shareholder.
Luxair · Cargolux · Luxaviation (business aviation)
Wikipedia, Luxair and Cargolux corporate histories, aviation trade press
Aviation Firsts
Luxembourg Findel Airport — Sandweiler (1944): Originally called Sandweiler Airport. Wikipedia's own article carries an uncited ('[citation needed]') claim that it 'was opened in the 1930s as a small grass airfield with a relatively short... runway'; the earliest confirmed, cited use is Luftwaffe fighter units operating from the field in 1940 after Germany's invasion, followed by the US Army's confirmed construction of Advanced Landing Ground 'A-97 Sandweiler' from 18 September 1944, returned to Luxembourg control 15 August 1945. 1944 is used here as the earliest verifiable date; the uncited 1930s grass-airfield claim is noted but not treated as confirmed. IATA code LUX is not among our 222 profiled airports. · Wikipedia ↗
Luxair (1961): Set up in 1961, began operations 31 March 1962. Luxair's own Wikipedia infobox separately lists 1948 as a founding year, attributed to 'Luxembourg Airlines,' described as its predecessor -- meaning the genuinely oldest Luxembourgish airline entity may be this 1948 Luxembourg Airlines rather than Luxair itself, but the exact nature of that predecessor relationship (direct legal continuation versus a new company reusing the aviation niche) was not detailed in sources reached this session. Luxair (1961/1962) is reported as the confirmed, currently-operating flag carrier; the 1948 Luxembourg Airlines lead is flagged as an open, unresolved earlier claim rather than asserted as a separate full entry. · LG ↗ · Wikipedia ↗
Aviapartner (Belgium), 2007: Aviapartner (Belgian) was designated as the second ground-handling provider at Luxembourg Findel Airport under an EU-directive-mandated tender ending Luxair's historical monopoly, with contemporary trade-press activity dated August 2007 placing this around 2007; the exact day/month could not be pinned down this session. By March 2024, Luxembourg's Ministry of Mobility replaced the second-license holder — Alyzia SAS (French) and Luxair SA each received one of the two passenger ground-handling licenses — implying Aviapartner held that second slot for roughly 2007–2024. Year is approximate; confidence tentative. (best-documented candidate found — not source-confirmed as literally first.) · Chronicle.lu ↗