Lufthansa has completed the assembly of two historic aircraft at its Hangar One facility near Frankfurt Airport. The Junkers Ju 52 and Lockheed L-1649A Super Star will be the centerpiece exhibits when the airline’s new conference and visitor center opens in 2026, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of Deutsche Luft Hansa’s founding.
A Journey from Paderborn to Frankfurt
The beloved “Aunt Ju” spent the past four years at Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport (PAD), where a group of aviation enthusiasts called the Quax Association restored the aircraft to its former glory.
Both aircraft arrived in Frankfurt in pieces aboard heavy transport trucks and were carefully reassembled near the airport. The Ju 52, registered as D-AQUI, belongs to Deutsche Lufthansa Berlin Stiftung.
“With our Ju 52, we are preserving the history of Lufthansa and aviation,” said Wolfgang von Richthofen, Project Manager of the Lufthansa Group Conference and Visitor Center.
“The historic aircraft will enrich the exhibition in our new visitor center as an essential exhibit and will be accessible to customers, employees, aviation enthusiasts, and the general public,” von Richthofen added.
When the Junkers Ju 52 joined Lufthansa’s fleet in 1932, it quickly became the backbone of operations, eventually making up half the airline’s fleet.
The distinctive three-engine aircraft, with its corrugated metal skin, was prized for its reliability and ability to operate from rough, unpaved airstrips.
Originally designed as a single-engine plane in 1930, the three-engine version became iconic. While thousands were built, only a handful remain airworthy today.
The aircraft in Frankfurt, D-AQUI, wearing the airline’s 1936 livery, was purchased by Lufthansa in 1984 for its 60th anniversary.
The Super Star: a relic from the golden age of travel
The Lockheed L-1649A Super Star joined the fleet in 1957, and represents the golden age of luxury air travel. The aircraft was the first to feature the exclusive Senator class and flew nonstop across the North Atlantic to New York, flights lasting up to 17 hours from Hamburg Airport (HAM).
Measuring 35.42 meters long with a 45.18-meter wingspan, the four-engine Super Star marked the twilight of the propeller age, bridging aviation’s pioneering days and the jet era to come.
Lufthansa Group Hangar One, built next to the Lufthansa Aviation Center at Frankfurt Airport, serves multiple purposes: a workspace for employees, a venue for business partners, and a destination for aviation enthusiasts.
A glass façade lets visitors glimpse the historic aircraft from outside, while an open gallery inside displays previously unseen exhibits from Lufthansa’s history. The center is also available for external events and includes a coffee lounge.The opening coincides with Lufthansa’s 100th anniversary.