Lufthansa is preparing to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2026 with a special “anniversary fleet” of aircraft in commemorative liveries, but I cannot help but feel this project is putting fresh paint on deeper unresolved problems within the airline.
Lufthansa’s 100th Anniversary Fleet Looks Nice, But The Priorities Feel Wrong
Lufthansa has announced that six aircraft will receive a special 100-year livery to mark the centenary of the original Lufthansa, founded in 1926. The design features a dark blue fuselage with a large white crane whose wings merge into the aircraft’s wings, plus a “100” on the left side and “1926 / 2026” on the right, with another “100” on the belly. The “anniversary fleet” will be led by the brand-new Boeing 787-9 “Berlin” (D-ABPU), joined by an Airbus A380, an Airbus A350-1000, an Airbus A350-900, an Airbus A320, and a Boeing 747-8, all due to be repainted by fall 2026.
On one level, this is fun. I like special liveries. I like the crane. I like the nod to history. British Airways did an excellent job with its 100th anniversary, rolling out several retro schemes that tapped into genuine nostalgia in a way that felt both respectful and deliberate. Lufthansa already has a couple of retro jets flying around that look fantastic and actually tell a story about the airline’s visual identity over time. It could easily have leaned more heavily into that heritage. Instead, we are getting a new graphic treatment that, while attractive enough, feels more like a new branding than a true celebration of history. But the design is actually just fine…
The bigger issue for me is timing. Lufthansa is talking up this anniversary fleet while its long-haul product strategy remains a mess. Allegris, the supposed next-generation cabin concept, has been repeatedly delayed, introduced in fits and starts, and still leaves many passengers confused about what they will actually get when they step on board. Business class is wildly inconsistent across the fleet. First class remains a niche product on a handful of aircraft with no clear long-term roadmap. For a premium European flag carrier, the gap between the marketing story and the onboard reality is striking, and it has only gotten worse over the last few years.
Lipstick on a pig is not an inherently bad thing. Still, you can paint beautiful cranes and “100” logos on the outside of the aircraft, but if the inside is still a patchwork of old seats, staggered products, and delayed retrofits, that is what customers notice. It is like polishing the façade of a building while the interior remains half-renovated. People see through that, just as in life, the substance matters more than the surface.
That is why British Airways’ approach resonated more with me. The retro jets there were not an attempt to distract from cabin upgrades but a complement to them. Club Suite was rolling out. There was a clear plan to modernize the fleet inside and out. The special paint jobs felt like a victory lap, not a diversion. With Lufthansa, it feels reversed: big talk about a centenary and special liveries while passengers are still asking when they will see a consistent, modern premium product across long-haul aircraft.
To be clear, I am not opposed to special liveries. I will enjoy seeing these jets in the skies and photographing them when I can. Lufthansa remains an airline with a rich history and a visual identity I have always liked. But if you are going to celebrate 100 years, it would be nice to do so with a cabin product that reflects the same pride and attention to detail as the new paint…
CONCLUSION
Lufthansa’s 100th anniversary fleet will give spotters and brand enthusiasts something new to enjoy, with six aircraft across key sub-fleets wearing a distinctive centenary livery. That is fine as far as it goes, but the real work Lufthansa needs to do is on the inside of the aircraft. Until Allegris is fully and consistently implemented, and until there is a clear, reliable premium product across the long-haul fleet, special paint only exacerbates questions over Lufthansa’s priorities. For a 100-year celebration, I would rather see a coherent, world-class cabin strategy or at least both at once.
Air France is an airline that is improving and just gets better. Lufthansa (and one could argue SWISS as well) seem to be stuck in quicksand.
The only way for Lufthansa (for the airline and tne group) out of this is they need a major replacwnr in many of their top management positions.