dailynewsnblog
100 years ago on April 6th, 
Lufthansa’s predecessor Luft Hansa took to the skies for the first time, flying from 
Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) to Zurich Airport (ZRH) and Cologne Airport (CGN). To mark this special occasion exactly 100 years later, the German flag carrier operated two special routes to recreate the original flights.
Monday was a day where no detail was overlooked. LH2026 (marking the current year) flew from Berlin to Cologne with the airline’s CEO Jens Ritter onboard. Meanwhile, LH1926 (marking the year Luft Hansa started) flew to Zurich retracing the route of the original flight via Halle, Erfurt, Nuremberg, and Stuttgart. Simple Flying’s Tom Boon joined Lufthansa on this special jubilee flight to Zurich
Two Lufthansa Aircraft Removed From Service For The Jubilee
To make today’s flights possible, Lufthansa first needed to take two aircraft out of regular service for the day. It was known for a while which two aircraft would be used, as the airline commissioned special liveries for the occasion. The Boeing 787-9 with the 100 years livery is registered as D-ABPU, and was delivered to the airline factory fresh in December.
D-ABPU arrived in Frankfurt from Hong Kong at 6:38 am local time this morning. A little over four hours later, it was back on the move positioning to Berlin with Lufthansa employees and a handful of invited guests.
Seeing as I needed to start and end my day in Frankfurt, I flew the whole day onboard D-ABPU. Before takeoff, Ritter welcomed the employees from across Lufthansa onto the flight. Each passenger got a packed lunch on the flight (it’s difficult to serve an entire 787 when you’re in the air for less than an hour!) However, there was a drinks service, and a couple of special actions (a voucher for a 100 years hoodie was hidden in somebody’s tray table!)
Given the relatively short distance between 
Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and Berlin, we were landing before we knew it, but there was one more twist. The Airbus A350 from Munich arrived at the same time, landing parallel to us. We both taxied to the gate together, arriving simultaneously to a water cannon salute from the airport fire brigade.
A Huge Celebration For Lufthansa At Berlin Airport
A large section of the departure lounge at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) had been turned into an event venue for the day. Here, around 600 guests took part in activities, and heard speeches from Ritter and the Mayor of Berlin. Both took part in renaming the Boeing 787-9 in attendance to be called “Berlin”.
Outside of the special guest speeches, there were plenty of themed activities for those in attendance. Guests could send free postcards adorned with old Lufthansa posters, take photos with crew in uniforms from the past and present, and learn more about the history and future of the German flag carrier.
In Photos: Up Close With Lufthansa’s New “100 Year” Boeing 787
An early Christmas present for the German flag carrier.
Retracing The Route From Berlin To Zürich
Once the formalities had ended, it was already time to board LH1926 to Zurich. Boarding was directly from the event area, and I returned to 11K, my seat from the previous flight. The surprises began at pushback, as the 787 was lined up nose to nose with the Airbus A350 for a photoshoot. While the photos look impressive, watching it through the nose camera left a lot to the imagination.
After the photoshoot, both aircraft taxied to their respective runways. Our aircraft took the southern runway this time, while the Airbus A350 was on the northern runway. There was a short wait on the runway while our plane was circled by a camera helicopter. The passengers on the aircraft behind us must have been confused! It was then time to take off, with the two aircraft taking off in parallel.
The flight time between Berlin and Zurich is typically blocked at 90 minutes, but our flight was scheduled to take two hours. The reason? We flew via the stopping points of the original service 100 years ago. We simply flew past these waypoints in a straight line with a view from the window.
Just past Stuttgart Airport (STR), our pilot revealed that it would be around 20 minutes to landing, but after some discussion with ATC, our route was modified to take an extra 20 minutes with some sightseeing over the Black Forest. After a somewhat roundabout approach, we touched down in Zurich at 4:55pm local time after one hour and 38 minutes in the air.
A Small Celebration In Zurich
On arrival in Zurich, our Boeing 787 taxied to a remote stand. We were welcomed by a water cannon salute for the second time that day, and upon disembarkation we were also greeted by yodelers. Once guests had departed, representatives of SWISS presented the flight crew with a cake celebrating the anniversary.
Passengers were bussed to the terminal where the day’s festivities had ended. However, many passengers, including me, reboarded the Boeing 787 for one final positioning flight back to Frankfurt Airport!
