Lufthansa’s Lockheed Starliner Moves to Hamburg

We often receive questions regarding what happened to Lockheed L-1649A Starliner N7361C, which Lufthansa spent vast sums restoring for airworthy use, only to cancel the project at the last hurdle. Almost five years ago, Lufthansa announced the end of its Super Star project. The largely restored aircraft was shipped to Germany from the USA shortly afterwards, stored in a hangar in Bremen.

During the evening hours of February 22/23, 2021, as reported by Austrian Wings, Lufthansa moved the Starliner’s fuselage from the Bremen warehouse to an airport in Paderborn, Germany. Today, however, Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport announced the departure of the beautiful airliner to its next home, this time in Hamburg. This departure may be due to Lufthansa’s upcoming centenary celebrations.

In 2026, Lufthansa will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding: On January 6, 1926, Deutsche Luft Hansa AG was launched in Berlin through the merger of Deutscher Aero Lloyd and Junkers Luftverkehr. The first flight of the new airline followed on April 6, 1926. Today’s Deutsche Lufthansa AG is not the legal successor to the company founded in 1926, but to the Aktiengesellschaft für Luftverkehrsbedarf, which was newly founded in 1953. Since 1954, the company has borne the name Deutsche Lufthansa AG, and flight operations began on April 1, 1955. Nevertheless, the 100th anniversary of Lufthansa’s initial founding is to be duly celebrated in 2026. The historic Lockheed L-1694A Super Star and Ju 52 D-AQUI aircraft have a very special place in Lufthansa’s history and in the hearts of all aviation fans.

At an employee event in the Fall of 2022, Lufthansa Chairman and CEO Carsten Spohr stated that the aircraft will receive a new home to mark Lufthansa’s 100th anniversary and will go on permanent display either in Frankfurt or Munich. However, at press time, it was unclear why the airplane is heading to Hamburg – we will investigate.

Moreno Aguiari

Born in Milan, Italy, Moreno moved to the U.S. in 1999 to pursue a career as a commercial pilot. His aviation passion began early, inspired by his uncle, an F-104 Starfighter Crew Chief, and his father, a military traffic controller. Childhood adventures included camping outside military bases and watching planes at Aeroporto Linate. In 1999, he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, to obtain his commercial pilot license, a move that became permanent. With 24 years in the U.S., he now flies full-time for a Part 91 business aviation company in Atlanta. He is actively involved with the Commemorative Air Force, the D-Day Squadron, and other aviation organizations. He enjoys life with his supportive wife and three wonderful children.

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