The beautiful livery of the German airline Lufthansa to celebrate its centenary

In December 1917, the German airline Deutsche Luft-Reederei (DLR) was created, which began operations in February 1919.

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In 1918, DLR debuted a logo designed by the German graphic designer and architect Otto Firle (1889-1966), undoubtedly a suitable person for such a design, having been a pilot during the First World War. The logo designed by Firle consisted of a highly stylized crane with its wing outstretched.

On April 6, 1926, DLR was renamed Deutsche Luft Hansa AG, headquartered in Berlin. The company continued to use the crane designed by Otto Firle as its emblem. The logo, which had been encircled since the DLR era, generally appeared within a circle and became a very famous emblem.

The company was dissolved by the Allies in 1951. On January 6, 1953, former employees of Deutsche Luft Hansa AG founded Aktiengesellschaft für Luftverkehrsbedarf (Luftag). In 1954, this company acquired the name and logo of Deutsche Luft Hansa AG, becoming commercially known as Lufthansa.

In September, Lufthansa Group announced a new livery for one of its Boeing 787s to celebrate its centenary in 2026, noting the following: "The special livery features a blue fuselage with a white crane hovering above it, its wings merging into the wings of the aircraft. The wings of the aircraft thus virtually become the wings of the crane. An unprecedented design that combines movement and elegance, tradition and the future. Designed as a trademark by graphic designer and architect Otto Firle in 1918, the crane has become Lufthansa's unmistakable distinguishing feature worldwide over the decades."

The German company added: "In addition to the crane, the numerals “100” are integrated on the left side of the fuselage and the lettering “1926 / 2026” on the right side. A “100” logo is also painted on the underside of the aircraft."

Jens Ritter, CEO of Lufthansa Airlines, expressed the importance the company places on this brand: "We are proud of our tradition and our values, and we look forward to continuing our great history. The special livery of the Boeing 787 honors our identity and also stands for a proud team of Lufthansa employees who give everything every day for the safety and well-being of our guests."

The aircraft chosen for this livery is D-ABPU, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The aircraft was decorated with this livery in Charleston, South Carolina, USA, where Boeing has one of its factories. The German airline published this video of the aircraft in October:

A week ago, Lufthansa published a series of photos showing the arrival of the D-ABPU in Everett, Washington, where another of Boeing's factories is located. Delivery of the aircraft to the German company is scheduled for December, and it is expected to enter service in January 2026. You can see those photos here:

Lufthansa's beautiful centenary livery must have caused quite a stir, because the German airline announced today that it will decorate six aircraft with this design: "The anniversary fleet will be led by the brand-new Boeing 787-9 “Berlin” with the registration D-ABPU, which is expected in Frankfurt in December. An Airbus A380, an Airbus A350-1000, an Airbus A350-900, an Airbus A320, and a Boeing 747-8 will also be painted. The aircraft will gradually be given the new design – the anniversary fleet is expected to be complete in fall 2026."

Here we can see the image released today by Lufthansa showing what these planes will look like. It will be a departure from a brand design that has so far been characterized by its simplicity and minimalism. These planes are going to become highly sought-after targets for plane spotters around the world.

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Main photo: Lufthansa Group.