VINTAGE - Tail section of the legendary Lockheed Super Star successfully assembled

Historic aircraft in “Hangar One” now almost completely built

Exhibition in the Lufthansa Group's new conference and visitor center to open next year

Countdown to Lufthansa's anniversary year 2026 is on

The next important milestone has been reached at Lufthansa Group Hangar One, the new conference and visitor center currently under construction at Frankfurt Airport: the tail unit has now been mounted on the Lockheed L-1649A Super Star. The three-part rudder is characteristic of this particular aircraft series. It has a wingspan of over 15 meters and weighs around 1.4 tons. The assembly was carried out using two forklifts operating in parallel.

This means that all the large components of the Super Star have now been successfully assembled. The historic aircraft, once a symbol of innovation and elegance, was painted this summer at Münster/Osnabrück Airport in its classic 1950s livery. The fuselage, wings, engines, and tail were then transported to Frankfurt by heavy haulage. The various aircraft parts were assembled in the new building at Frankfurt Airport over the past few weeks. Now, with a total length of around 35 meters and an impressive wingspan of more than 45 meters, the Super Star shines again in all its former glory.

Together with the legendary Junkers Ju 52, the Lockheed Super Star will be the main attraction of the “Lufthansa Group Hangar One.” Thanks to a glass facade, visitors can also admire the two icons of aviation history from the outside. The opening of the conference and visitor center coincides with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the first Deutsche Luft Hansa and underscores the importance of aviation history for the Lufthansa Group.

About the Super Star: 

In 1957, the Lockheed Super Star joined the Lufthansa fleet and was the first aircraft to feature Senator Class, the most exclusive form of travel. The focus of its deployment was the connection to New York, flying nonstop across the North Atlantic. The aircraft was therefore also a technical masterpiece. These flights, which lasted up to 17 hours, took off from Hamburg, where the maintenance base was also located.

About “Lufthansa Group Hangar One”:

In the immediate vicinity of the Lufthansa Aviation Center (LAC), the Lufthansa Group began construction of a new conference and visitor center at Frankfurt Airport in 2024, which will be a place for new forms of collaboration for employees and, at the same time, for customers, business partners, and aviation enthusiasts.

Lufthansa's pioneering spirit and expertise will be tangible and experiential – especially in terms of shaping the future of aviation, but also with regard to the history of the company. Two restored Lufthansa aircraft will be on permanent display as the main historical attraction: the Junkers Ju 52 and the legendary Lockheed Super Star.

 

In an open gallery, visitors will be able to explore numerous exhibits from Lufthansa's corporate history, some of which will be on public display for the first time. Like the group's training and conference hotel “Lufthansa Seeheim,” the Frankfurt conference and visitor center will also be open for external events and will offer visitors catering services in a coffee lounge.

LUFTHANSA