Airliner World – April 2018

62 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2018

R

efreshing a brand can be

a costly and time-consum-

ing endeavour, so such

exercises are rarely

undertaken lightly. While

some airlines refine their liveries and

logos frequently, others – including

Lufthansa – have remained largely

unchanged for decades. On February 7

the German flag carrier ended months

of speculation when it revealed a

striking new colour scheme – its first

such change for almost three decades.

A New Look

The grand unveiling came during two

launch events at the airline’s Frankfurt

and Munich hubs, during which it offi-

cially presented the first aircraft to wear

the new livery – Boeing 747-8 D-ABYA

(c/n 37827) and Airbus A321-231 D-AISP

(c/n 3868) – to more than 3,000 guests.

Speaking at the event, Lufthansa

Group Chairman Carsten Spohr

remarked: “The modernisation of

Lufthansa is only possible thanks to the

commitment of our employees, who

are the best in the industry. They are

Lufthansa’s iconic crane logo – widely considered

to be among the industry’s most recognisable

trademarks – has been given a new lease of

life as part of a major brand refresh.

Airliner World’s Craig West reports.

Blue is the Colour

It’s a significant departure for the

carrier, whose instantly recognisable

livery has remained largely unchanged

since the early 1970s.

The airline said the logo “remains the

airline’s iconic symbol. In the future,

it will be slimmer and fit for the digital

world. A thinner ring makes the crane

look more elegant, bringing it into the

foreground and granting it more space.

All in all, the trademark will gain light-

ness and elegance.”

Spohr added: “Lufthansa has changed

and is more modern and successful

than ever. From now on, this will

also be visible to the public through

a new design. The crane has always

been with us and clearly stands for

the promising performance from

Lufthansa. To this day, it still stands as

a symbol of highest quality, excellent

service, flying expertise, reliability,

innovative spirit; and it stands

for trust.”

Lufthansa said initial response to the

new appearance has been “predomi-

nantly positive, although some people

missed the traditional yellow tone [one

the actual face of the brand.”

The most notable element of the new

look – expected to be rolled out across

some 330 aircraft over the next eight

years – is the revised crane logo, which

dispenses with the iconic ‘Lufthansa

yellow’ backdrop in favour of a

simplified white on blue arrangement.

Lufthansa Group

Chairman Carsten

Spohr said the carrier’s

modernisation “is only

possible, thanks to the

commitment of our

employees, who are the

best in the industry.”