On May 29, Luft Hansa ushers in a new era of summer vacations and launches regular ‘bathing routes’ to island destinations such as Sylt, Norderney, and Rügen. Flying boats such as the Dornier Wal drastically reduce travel time to the coast and even make the arrival itself into an event for beachgoers. The new service is promoted with the iconic campaign "Fliegt in die Bäder!” (Fly to the seaside).

The first Junkers Ju 52 is added to the Luft Hansa fleet. The legendary aircraft, soon affectionately nicknamed "Tante Ju” (“Aunt Ju"), becomes the airline's "workhorse" and has since been a symbol of pioneering spirit and engineering excellence.

Lufthansa develops a new corporate design – the crane is given a consistent form and becomes the symbol of a new era. In the same year, the young airline finally takes to the skies. Two Lufthansa Convair 340 aircraft, bearing the German national insignia on their tails, take off almost simultaneously on April 1. One aircraft, flies from Hamburg towards Munich – with stopovers in Düsseldorf and Frankfurt. At the same time, a Convair departs from Munich, heading towards Hamburg via Frankfurt and Cologne.

Lufthansa opens its first South American route – from Hamburg via Düsseldorf/Frankfurt, Paris and Dakar to Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Buenos Aires. Thousands of kilometers, multiple time zones – a massive leap that connects continents and significantly expands the international route network. Scheduled flights to Tehran, Istanbul, Beirut, and Baghdad are also added.

Lufthansa launches its "Paper Jet" project, developing an innovative simulation program. Long before the first real jet takes off, all processes, routes and conditions of future jet traffic are simulated on paper – a forward-looking concept that enables the airline to prepare early and precisely for the coming Jet Age.

On July 23, a baby is born at an altitude of 10,000 meters (33,000 ft) for the first time in history on a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to New York. The girl is named Barbara Lufthansa Herzog.

With the formation of German Cargo Services GmbH, Lufthansa opens a new chapter. Through its own, legally independent charter subsidiary, the airline can operate more flexibly and cost-effectively. German Cargo rapidly becomes expert in handling anything that is bulky, delicate, or alive. Whether racehorses, day-old chicks, or complete industrial plants – anything that doesn't fit in the cargo hold of a scheduled airliner is taken care of by the charter subsidiary.

During the “German Autumn” terrorism crisis, Lufthansa flight LH 181 becomes the setting for an attack. On October 13, terrorists hijack the Boeing 737 Landshut. After a disastrous flight and the murder of Captain Jürgen Schumann in Aden, the hostage drama ends at Mogadishu Airport. The rescue by West German counter-terrorism unit GSG 9 on October 18 saves all 86 passengers – a dramatic milestone in German aviation history.

Michele Jett is the first woman to start work as a flight engineer in a Lufthansa cockpit on a Boeing B727 – many more women in the cockpit will follow.

The Boeing 747-400 with the registration number D-ABVE is christened "Potsdam" in September 1990, just a few days before German reunification. A deliberate gesture to carry the name of a city from the former GDR out into the world.

The Airbus A319 complements the successful A320 family as a slightly smaller variant and becomes an integral part of European air traffic.

The Star Alliance is founded in Frankfurt. Lufthansa launches this first global airline alliance together with United Airlines, Air Canada, SAS, and Thai Airways. It leads to a massive expansion of the service offering. Passengers benefit from shared lounges and a consistent travel experience across the global network, which now serves more than 578 cities in over 106 countries with over 1,334 aircraft.

Lufthansa becomes a wholly privately owned company. This increases the pressure to operate profitably but also allows for more flexible investments in new products and cabin equipment, enabling the airline to remain competitive internationally.

As part of its "Future Cont." project, Lufthansa introduces a series of noticeable improvements for passengers. In Business Class, the middle seats will remain empty, creating greater privacy, elbow room, and space to relax. At the same time, the in-flight service on European routes gets a modern update – rounded off by new, elegantly designed tableware.

The retrofitting of the Lufthansa continental fleet with the new Economy Class seats begins. The high-quality leather seats in a subtle color scheme give the entire cabin a new and modern look. The new seats also weigh less, leading to a reduction in fuel consumption.

The 18th FIFA World Cup is held in Germany. Fifty aircraft from the Lufthansa fleet are painted with the “football nose”. They are carrying the World Cup team from Germany to the rest of the world.

A giant lands in Frankfurt. Lufthansa receives its first Airbus A380 – the world's largest passenger aircraft. On the same day, the A380-800, registered with the call sign D-AIMA, is christened “Frankfurt am Main” by Frankfurt's mayor Petra Roth. The new Lufthansa First Class also celebrates its world premiere on board the aircraft. Its luxurious seats can be converted into beds 207 cm long and 80 cm wide (81.5 in x 31.5 in).

Lufthansa takes a step towards the future by being the first airline in the world to test biofuel in daily scheduled operations. A specially selected Airbus A321 shuttles between Frankfurt and Hamburg for six months for this purpose. A test phase that demonstrates how the search for new, more sustainable ways of flying is being driven forward.

Lufthansa is the first airline in the world to take delivery of a Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental. The new generation of the legendary Jumbo Jet is quieter, more fuel-efficient, and more comfortable than its predecessor model.

In the same year, after a construction period of approximately four years, Concourse A-Plus at Frankfurt Airport opens as scheduled. The 800-meter/2,625 ft-long western extension of Terminal 1 will predominantly be used by Lufthansa and its Star Alliance partners.

For the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Lufthansa carries German athletes and their equipment to Brazil – a special service in the name of sport.

In March, the global Covid pandemic brings the world to a standstill. Where thousands of people used to fly around the world every day, an eerie silence now reigns. The majority of the Lufthansa fleet must remain grounded – parked on runways and taxiways, carefully preserved and mothballed by the engineers. Cancelled flights, repatriation flights, mandatory mask wearing. Lufthansa responds to the pandemic with completely new service concepts such as flexible rebooking rules, new hygiene standards, and contactless processes at airports.

Lufthansa launches the biggest product campaign in its history. Under the name “Lufthansa Allegris”, the travel experience in all classes is completely reimagined. At the heart of the renewal is the move away from the one-size-fits-all approach. In Business Class alone, passengers can now choose between a number of different seating options – from the suite with extra privacy to the extra-long bed seat that extends to 2.20 meters (over 7 ft) in length. Flying becomes more personal, relaxed, and comfortable than ever before.