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Is This Really Lufthansa's New Paint Job?

Feb. 01, 2018
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3 min read
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Is This Really Lufthansa's New Paint Job?
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Lufthansa is changing its colors: at a ceremony in Frankfurt on February 7, it will unveil a new livery. A week ahead of the event, though, the German carrier stole its own thunder by apparently leaking its own new color scheme. The new livery, unless Lufthansa is head-faking every AvGeek in the world, confirms what many had been fearing: The classic Lufthansa yellow is gone, in favor of a far more generic white-and-blue livery.

Aviation Twitter erupted on Thursday with the news. Photos appeared showing the new paint job on a rendering of a Boeing 747-8. Gone indeed are the classic yellow accents. The tail is painted all blue, except for the Lufthansa crane, a staple of the German flag carrier's branding. The crane is now white.

The Lufthansa crane was introduced in 1918, so the new livery coincides with the original logo's 100th anniversary.

Ahead of the official reveal, Lufthansa posted a photo of the hangar (at Rome's FCO airport, as the writing and images on the wall show) where a 747-8, recognizable by the unique scalloped engine cover, is being repainted.

It's likely that this is indeed the livery, as the Lufthansa News Twitter page, Lufthansa's official media relations arm, changed its cover photo to one of the pictures that were leaked.

And if there was any remaining doubt, Andreas Spaeth, a German aviation journalist, shared this photo of Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr, confirming everyone's suspicions.

Many AvGeeks were sad to see the yellow go.


Others noted that it looked quite similar to Qantas' livery.

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Qantas 747 flyover seen before the start of the 2015 Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix on March 15, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. (Chris Putnam / Barcroft Media / Getty Images)

Few things cause the kind of stir in the commercial aviation world that a livery change by one of the world's biggest airlines, and this one is no exception. You can expect many unhappy tweets and articles from people who bemoan the disappearance of the Lufthansa yellow. Around the world, seeing a tail with the blue crane in a yellow circle, like this 747-8 below, is the first sign that you are looking at a Lufthansa plane.

We reached out to Lufthansa for comment, but did not hear back by time of publishing. Stay with TPG for the official reveal in Frankfurt, a week from now.

Image by The Points Guy staff

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  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

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  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
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  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
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  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
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