100 years of aviation history on the approach: on Easter Monday (6 April), Cologne-Bonn Airport is expecting a special guest. To mark the 100th anniversary of Lufthansa’s founding, an A-350/900 airplane in special livery carrying nearly 300 passengers will land in Cologne/Bonn – exactly a century after the airline’s first scheduled flight from Berlin to the Rhineland. On this historic day, the anniversary will also be marked in impressive style at the airport.

On 6 April 1926, a Dornier Komet III operated by the then Deutsche Luft Hansa took off from Tempelhof Airport, made a stopover in Magdeburg and landed in Cologne after around four hours. It marked the start of regular scheduled services between Berlin and the Rhineland. The anniversary flight now retraces this historic route, making a loop via Magdeburg –and in doing so, linking history with the present: passengers will enjoy the modern comfort and service of the Lufthansa fleet during the flight.

The anniversary will come to life at the airport: even the approach of the A-350 in its eye-catching livery will be an absolute highlight, particularly for aviation enthusiasts. On board, alongside Jens Ritter, CEO of Lufthansa Airlines, and invited guests of the airline, are numerous passengers who have booked the flight and are experiencing the anniversary first-hand. After landing, the aircraft is greeted with a water salute from the airport fire brigade and escorted to its parking position by several marshallers, which is clearly visible from the visitors’ terrace.

On the apron, a brass band provides lively entertainment, whilst passengers are welcomed with goodie bags. Guests travelling on a regular scheduled flight to Munich afterwards also receive small gifts from the airport. In addition, the video walls in the terminals display atmospheric images and highlights from the special day.

The anniversary flight is a visible symbol of the long-standing and close partnership between Lufthansa and Cologne-Bonn Airport. Via its Munich hub, the airline has been connecting the airport with destinations all over the world for decades. Even today, the Lufthansa Group remains firmly rooted in Cologne: Eurowings, a subsidiary of Lufthansa, is the largest carrier at the airport, whilst Austrian Airlines connects Cologne/Bonn with its hub in Vienna.