Today in 1952, the government of post-war Germany voted to reinstate a national airline for Germany after suspension of passenger airline services during World War II. This initial step paved the “runway” for the creation of Aktiengesellschaft für Luftverkehrsbedarf or “LUFTAG” on January 6, 1953.
Following up on this approval, LUFTAG began to organize as an airline and started to build facilities in Cologne, create it’s structure and hire it’s employees. Also during this time in 1953, LUFTAG ordered 4 Lockheed 1049G Super Constellations (Super Connies) and four Convair 340s. The Convairs began joining the fleet in mid-1954 while the Super Connie’s began arriving in late 1958.
On August 6, 1954 LUFTAG formally changed it’s name to what we know today as Deutsche Lufthansa Aktiengesellschaft(AG) or “LH” for short!
On April 1, 1955 2 of Lufthansa’s new Convair 340’s (D-ACOH and D-ACEF) took to the skies and officially christened Lufthansa’s first regularly scheduled routes. To mark the inaugural routes, one of the Convairs flew Munich-Frankfurt-Cologne-Hamburg while the second Convair flew Hamburg-Dusseldorf-Frankfurt-Munich.
D-ACEF courtesy: Robin A. Walker
D-ACOH
A Super Constellation at Munich Airport's Besucherpark (Visitor Park)
