Ahead of 100th Anniversary: Lufthansa Welcomes "Berlin" Dreamliner in Frankfurt

The wait is finally over for Lufthansa. Its Boeing 787-9, featuring a striking special livery celebrating the airline’s 100th anniversary, touched down in Frankfurt on Tuesday. The Dreamliner, named “Berlin” and registered as D-ABPU, arrived from Boeing’s Everett plant in Washington at Germany’s busiest airport, where it was welcomed by plane enthusiasts, travelers, and onlookers. 

Lufthansa’s divisional board was on hand to personally welcome the newest addition to the fleet.

Photo: Lufthansa

“These are the particularly beautiful and unforgettable moments in our job,” said Jens Ritter, Chief Executive Officer of Lufthansa Airlines. “It's always a special moment to take delivery of a brand-new aircraft, but today's landing of this anniversary Boeing 787-9, with its extraordinary special livery marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the first ‘Luft Hansa’, was even more exciting and fascinating.”

The special “Papa Uniform” livery blends tradition with modern elements, featuring a deep-blue painted fuselage and a massive white crane with wings that seamlessly sweep into the aircraft’s own wings, turning the plane into a flying symbol of Lufthansa’s centennial celebration. 

The left side of the fuselage has a large “100” on display, while the right side has been printed with the dates “1926 | 2026.” The underside of the plane carries the number “100” to mark the centenary from all angles.

Lufthansa will celebrate its milestone anniversary in 2026. The airline’s official maiden flight took off on April 6, 1926. To honor the milestone, the airline is launching a special anniversary fleet of six aircraft, with the Boeing 787-9 leading the way. 

Photo: Lufthansa

Other aircraft will join the commemorative livery, including an Airbus A380, an Airbus A350-1000, an Airbus A350-900, an Airbus A320, and a Boeing 747-8. The rollout of the new design will be gradual, with the full anniversary fleet expected to be complete by fall 2026.

The newly arrived Dreamliner will begin its first scheduled flights for Lufthansa in the coming weeks.