Lufthansa Lockheed Super Star restored with classic 1950s livery
August 11, 2025
Lufthansa’s historic Lockheed L-1649A Starliner, which the airline called the ‘Super Star’, has been meticulously restored to its original 1950s livery, ahead of the airline’s centenary celebrations.
The iconic aircraft, once the flagship of Lufthansa’s post-war fleet, has undergone a comprehensive repair and repaint at Münster/Osnabrück Airport to recapture its classic appearance, having been dismantled into individual parts and kept in storage at Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport in recent years.
Lufthansa Technik completed the extensive assembly of the airframe in January after more than a year of restoration work, which had begun in October 2023.
The restoration was then completed by Altitude Paint Services, using approximately 500 litres of paint.
The airline shared that one of the most challenging aspects of the project was replicating the distinctive ‘parabolas’, a signature design feature of Lufthansa’s historic branding.
This intricate work was guided by detailed archival documentation and a paint plan developed by the Graphics Solutions department at Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg.
The Super Star is scheduled to be transported by a heavy-load vehicle to Frankfurt Airport this week.
From spring 2026, it will be displayed at Lufthansa Group’s new conference and visitor centre, alongside the Junkers Ju 52 D-AQUI.
2026: Lufthansa’s centenary year
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 airline is preparing to mark 100 years since its founding next year, and the restoration of the Lockheed Starliner and Junkers JU 52 is part of the celebration.
Originally introduced into Lufthansa’s fleet in 1957, the Lockheed Super Star was notable for pioneering the airline’s “Senator Class” – an exclusive travel experience – on its primary route, the nonstop Hamburg to New York service.
Technologically advanced for its time, the aircraft’s four piston engines represented the pinnacle of propeller-driven airliners before the advent of jet technology.
The Junkers Ju 52 is ready to move to the newly built Lufthansa Group Conference and Visitor Centre too, completing the pair of display aircraft.
This historic aircraft, affectionately known as “Aunt Ju,” was restored by the Quax Association and will be on display in Frankfurt alongside the Starliner.
“With our Ju 52, we are preserving the history of Lufthansa and aviation,” says Wolfgang von Richthofen, Project Manager of the Lufthansa Group Conference and Visitor Centre, “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.”
