Lufthansa Group’s specialist vintage aviation division has unveiled the Lockheed L-1649A airliner which has been undergoing assembly in Hamburg over the last 18 months.
The aircraft was acquired originally with the intention of restoring it and returning it to flight in 2011, joining the company’s Junkers Ju 52.
But the ambitious plan – dating back to 2007 – was cancelled in 2018 over concerns about the extent of the work required and the increasing costs.
Lufthansa subsequently axed pleasure flights with the Ju 52 citing difficulties with the economic case for operating the ageing aircraft.
Its alternative proposal involves displaying the two aircraft as part of a centenary commemoration in 2026, marking 100 years since the first flight of Deutsche Luft Hansa, following a merger between Deutscher Aero Lloyd and Junkers Luftverkehr.
Branded the ‘Super Star’ by Lufthansa, the four-engined type, with a triple tail fin arrangement similar to the Lockheed L-1049 Constellation, joined the fleet 68 years ago, in 1957, for service on the Hamburg-New York route.
Lufthansa Technik says it will paint the L-1649A and transfer it to Frankfurt in October, where it will be shown off alongside the Ju 52. They will be the “main attraction”, it says, of a new conference and visitor centre from spring 2026.
“Thanks to a glass façade, the exhibits will also be clearly visible from the outside,” it adds.
Lufthansa Technik rolled out the newly re-assembled L-1649A Starliner on 17 January.
“The challenge for the Hamburg technical team initially involved the precise assembly of several large components,” it states, adding that the aircraft’s main aerostructures were transferred from the USA to Germany along with 292 crates with smaller components.
It says the cockpit is “as true to the original as possible”, the lighting and controls are functional, and cable pulls are able to move control surfaces including the rudders and flaps.
The repaint, in the original Lufthansa livery, will take place at Munster-Osnabruck airport, transport to which in July will involve dismantling the aircraft again.
Its cabin has been refurbished, using seats from an Airbus A340 but upholstered in a wine-red scheme, while the carpets and curtains will also be based on historical designs.
Lufthansa’s interest in the aircraft emerged in 2007 after it acquired three Starliners – two formerly with Trans World Airlines along with an ex-Lufthansa aircraft – which had been stored in Maine and Florida, and which had been the subject of restoration efforts by an aviation enthusiast.
Developed to compete with the Douglas DC-7, the Starliner was derived as a longer-range version of the Constellation, and is fitted with Wright R-3350 engines.
