History
| 1958 |  Jan Janssen and Martin Decker found OLT "Ostfriesische Lufttaxi" (East Frisian Air Taxi) in Emden, the predecessor of DLT. It is owned by the Fisser & van Doornum shipping company. |
| 1959 | On June 17, 1959 the first flight from OLT started at airport Emden. |
| 1970 | The company is renamed Ostfriesische Lufttaxi GmbH. It is owned jointly by the Aktiengesellschaft für Industrie- und Verkehrswesen AGIV, Frankfurt am Main, and the Fisser & van Doornum shipping company. |
| 1973 |  The AGIV assumes sole ownership of OLT. Its first own aircraft: a 20-seater Twin Otter. |
| 1974 | The company is renamed DLT Luftverkehrsgesellschaft mbH. |
| 1977 |  The first 30-seater Shorts 330 goes into service. |
| 1978 | On behalf of Lufthansa, DLT begins operating the first international routes: Bremen-Copenhagen and Hanover-Amsterdam. Lufthansa signs an agreement with AGIV to take out a 26 per cent stake in DLT. DLT equity: DM 6 million. |
| 1979 | Expansion of Germany's domestic route network in close cooperation with Lufthansa. |
| 1980 | DLT's capital is increased to DM 16 million. |
| 1981 |  The first of six 44-seater HS 748 aircraft goes into service. |
| 1984 | DLT flies most of its route network under Lufthansa flight numbers on behalf of Lufthansa. The last of six Shorts 330 aircraft are decommissioned. |
| 1985 | DLT's capital is increased to DM 40 million. AGIV has a 60 per cent stake, Lufthansa a 40 per cent stake. |
| 1986 | The first Embraer 120 (28 seats) joins the fleet. |
| 1987 |  DLT is the first airline in Europe to deploy the Fokker 50. Founding of DLT A.E.R.O. Services, Alzey, a subsidiary for the maintenance of aircraft engines. |
| 1988 | DLT operates scheduled flights exclusively on behalf of Lufthansa and under Lufthansa flight numbers. |
| 1989 | Deutsche Lufthansa AG takes out a majority stake in DLT. Its capital is increased to DM 50 million. |
| 1990 | Cooperation agreement between DLT and Lufthansa. DLT becomes an independent company: it is accountable for its own business results and is responsible for its own planning. DLT is the first airline worldwide to order the 50-seater CRJ, and for the first time in its history carries over one million passengers a year. |
| 1991 | The Supervisory Board approves the proposal to rename DLT Deutsche Luftverkehrsgesellschaft. The new name is Lufthansa CityLine GmbH. Noticeable decline in demand as a result of the Gulf War. With the opening of its own base in Cologne Lufthansa CityLine is able to service and maintain its CRJ independently. Founding of CityLine Simulator and Training (CST) in Berlin to operate the CRJ simulator. |
| 1992 |  In March DLT is renamed Lufthansa CityLine. Further expansion of the route network: the airline now operates over 200 flights a day to some 50 business centres in 15 European countries. Lufthansa CityLine becomes the first commercial airline to deploy the CRJ. It flies the Lufthansa emblem and adopts the Lufthansa logo. Inauguration of the simulator training centre at Berlin-Schönefeld. |
| 1993 | Lufthansa CityLine becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. For the first time since 1990 the airline posts a positive result, and for the first time ever it carries more than two million passengers. At the end of the year all 13 CRJ on order are delivered to Lufthansa CityLine. Planning and marketing activities are centralised at Lufthansa. In the summer timetable Lufthansa CityLine offers over 260 flights a day to 60 destinations in 20 European countries. Services to eastern Europe are boosted with the introduction of flights to Riga and Sofia. |
| 1994 |  Lufthansa CityLine flies under the Lufthansa brand: Its aircraft are painted in the Lufthansa livery, with the Lufthansa logo and emblem. The decision is made to restructure the fleet by increasing the number of jet aircraft, reducing the number of turboprops and introducing a new aircraft type. In October 1994 three Avro RJ85s enter the fleet. Two more CRJ are taken into service, bringing the number of this aircraft type up to 15 in the fleet. With the introduction of the Avro RJ85 Lufthansa CityLine revamps its in-flight service and introduces the new City Class - in line with Lufthansa's Business Class - on all aircraft types in the Lufthansa CityLine fleet. |
| 1995 |  The switch from turboprops to jet aircraft is taken one stage further in 1995. While Lufthansa CityLine's Fokker 50 fleet is significantly reduced in size in the course of the year, the two jet (CRJ and Avro RJ85) fleets are built up steadily.On 19 May 1995, for the first time in its history, Lufthansa CityLine carries over 10,000 scheduled passengers on one single day. On 6 December 1995, the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG approves the step-by-step transfer of Lufthansa CityLine's entire Fokker 50 fleet to the Stuttgart-based airline, Contact Air. This enables Lufthansa CityLine to concentrate on its two jet (CRJ and Avro RJ85) fleets. |
| 1996 | The restructuring of the Lufthansa CityLine fleet which began in 1994 reaches its peak in 1996. With the exception of four Fokker 50s, at the end of the year Lufthansa CityLine has an all-jet fleet comprising 28 CRJ and 15 Avro RJ85s. For the first time in the history of Lufthansa CityLine passenger numbers surpass the three-million mark. 3,067,780 passengers took advantage of Lufthansa CityLine's offer of 99,602 flights. The Lufthansa Flight Centre at Berlin-Schönefeld Airport expands with the addition of an Avro RJ85 simulator and a CRJ simulator. This simulator centre is now one of Europe's most advanced pilot training facilities, and is also open to pilots of other airlines. All Lufthansa CityLine CRJ are equipped with the innovative Head-Up Guidance landing system. It enables precision landings even in conditions of minimum visibility. This move further improves safety and punctuality. |
| 1997 | In March 1997 Lufthansa CityLine transfers its last Fokker 50 to its Team Lufthansa partner Contact Air. This makes Lufthansa CityLine the first regional airline in Europe to operate an all-jet fleet. With its fleet of 31 CRJ and 18 Avro RJ85s Lufthansa CityLine operates air routes in Europe and Germany not previously served by Lufthansa, thereby connecting Europe's regions to Lufthansa's global network. |
| 1998 |  Lufthansa CityLine puts the world's first cabin mock-up for the Avro RJ85 into operation. This increases the airline's capacity for emergency and safety training as well as for service training courses. In August 1998 the Avro RJ85 fleet is fitted with a new Flight Management System. Based on two independent satellite systems, it permits even more precise navigation. On 28 October 1998 Lufthansa CityLine celebrates the 40th anniversary of its founding, the acceptance of its 50th jet aircraft and the move to its new administrative headquarter at Cologne/Bonn Airport. For the first time all the company areas are based at the same location. |
| 1999 |  Lufthansa CityLine is voted Airline of the Year 1999 by the Regional Airline World magazine. The editors of the London magazine make the award in recognition of CityLine's pivotal role in the integration and support of regional partners in Team Lufthansa. They also praise the pioneering role it has played as an all-jet airline in Europe's regional segment. The Lufthansa Supervisory Board endorses plans to purchase 60 Fairchild Dornier 728Jets (70 seats). Lufthansa also secures firm options on a further 60 aircraft of this type. The first deliveries are scheduled for 2003. Lufthansa CityLine management institutes an Environmental Management System at the airline. Lufthansa CityLine gives the go-ahead to CityLine Canadair Simulator und Training (CCST) for the construction of a flight simulator for a new aircraft type, the CRJ700. In December 1999 the Supervisory Board of Lufthansa CityLine GmbH appoints Dr. Thomas Dräger to succeed Georg Steinbacher on the Executive Board. Dr. Dräger takes charge effective January 1, 2000 and assumes responsibility for human resources, social services and business administration. |
| 2000 | Lufthansa CityLine becomes the first airline to be certified compliant with EMAS, the European Union's ecology audit regulations and also receives ISO 14001 certification in accordance with international norms. The first new CRJ200 enters service on March 14. On July 1, a new era starts for CityLine's in-flight service. Under the motto "Make a difference!", the regional carrier introduces Business and Economy Classes on its flights. The ISO 9001 certificate, which recognizes quality assurance programs, is awarded to CityLine Simulator and Training GmbH (CST) in Berlin. Two round numbers dominate events in November: On November 4, Bombardier Aerospace delivers the 40th CRJ to Lufthansa CityLine, and on November 9 the year's five-millionth CityLine passenger is welcomed in Munich, arriving on flight LH 3897 from Brussels. |
| 2001 |  The renowned aviation magazine Air Transport World (ATW) names Lufthansa CityLine the "Regional Airline of the Year 2001", voting it the best airline in this category.Lufthansa CityLine introduces its new, electronic calling card: at www.lufthansacityline.com customers and other interested parties can visit the new-look website in the Lufthansa Group's corporate design. At the international Aerospace Industry Awards 2001 ceremony on June 18, Lufthansa CityLine receives second prize in the category "Enviroment and Infrastructure". This is the first time the award, which is conferred by the prestigious Flight International magazine and considered one of the highest accolades in the industry, is bestowed in this category. The 70-seater era begins at Lufthansa CityLine on July 1, when the first CRJ700 enters scheduled service at the airline. Shortly before end of the year Lufthansa CityLine reports a record number of passengers, and welcomes the six-millionth passenger on board. |
| 2002 | On April 15, the first of CityLine's about 1,500 flying personnel will receive new uniforms. SAP on the starting blocks at CityLine: This July the project team will start with system configuration for the areas of maintenance, materials management and business administration. During the summer months of July and August, a large-scale logistical project will take place at Cologne/Bonn Airport: CityLine's move into the freshly renovated former ITS Building will give new offices to 140 employees in Ground Operations, Personnel and Social Services, the Travel Office and General Administration/Facilities. In November 2002, Lufthansa CityLine competed for the first time for the "Ludwig Erhard Award," Germany's highest honor for entrepreneurial excellence, winning straightaway one of the three finalist positions. In addition, the airline received the distinction "Recognition for Excellence" from the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM). |
| 2003 | At Lufthansa CityLine, this was a year of internal renewal and consolidation. Founding the “Lufthansa Regional” linkup created the conditions for optimum cooperation with partner airlines. The goal of this reorganisation was to strengthen personnel management by separating it from technical management. In April, CityLine is successfully recertified according to both the European environmental audit regulations EMAS and the international environmental standard ISO 14001. In the lead-up, external auditors scrutinise all of the company’s locations and assess the environmental implications of all work processes. Following intense preparations in the context of the “jonas Project,” the standard software SAP goes online companywide on June 11. It is used to manage all technical and business processes of key importance across departmental boundaries. On November 27, CityLine Managing Director Karl-Heinz Köpfle receives the Ludwig Erhard Award, the German industry quality prize, in Berlin: Lufthansa CityLine wins the Silver Medal in the category “Large corporations.” |
| 2004 | In March, Lufthansa CityLine is named the winner of the German Environmental Reporting Award 2003/2004 in the category “Best Environmental Reporting.” Germany’s Minister of the Environment, Jürgen Trittin, presents the award to CityLine Managing Director Dr. Thomas Dräger at the House of German Industry in Berlin. Two months later, the technicians of Adria Airways punctually finish structural work on CityLine’s CRJ100/200s. Bombardier, the aircraft’s manufacturer, and CityLine had put Adria Airways in charge of carrying out alterations on the 50-seaters. The goal of this measure is to increase these aircraft’s operative stability. Lufthansa CityLine delivers its last Fokker 50 to Air Iceland at a ceremony held at Contact Air’s hangar at the beginning of August in Saarbrücken. Thus, all of CityLine’s turboprop aircraft, which had been operated exclusively by Contact Air since 1996, are sold. At the end of the year, the employee survey turns in a highly positive result. Employee satisfaction, an important factor for any successful company, is recorded at high levels at CityLine. |
| 2005 |
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| 2006 | In 2006, Lufthansa CityLine again built on quality and performance. By implementing outstanding operations, we set a course that allowed us to strengthen our market position further in a difficult competitive environment. We received the seal of approval for this solid performance in spring 2007, when we were presented the Quality Award of the Lufthansa Passenger Airlines. Given for the first time and designed to honour exceptional team performances, this prize went especially to those CityLiners who were responsible for the introduction of the Bombardier CRJ900. Not only did we put 12 new jets into service in just a few months, but we also phased out 13 Bombardier CRJ200s by year-end in a parallel move. |
| 2007 | In Financial Year 2007 we again made an important contribution to the activities of the Lufthansa business segment Passenger Transportation. In 2007, Lufthansa CityLine carried 7.3 million passengers, which corresponds to about 13 percent of all Lufthansa passengers. Our company also carried out about 24 percent of all flights operated last year with Lufthansa aircraft. With a technical regularity of 98.7 percent, Lufthansa CityLine achieved the goal Lufthansa Passenger Transportation had set for 2007. |
Aiming at being well-positioned for the future and being able to act more flexibly in the market, Lufthansa CityLine launches a number of internal restructuring projects. At the beginning of the year, a new organisational structure is established in Technical Operations. At the end of April, the functional areas Flight Operations and Ground Operations are merged into a single new unit called Operations. Service Counter
Do you have an enquiry about your flight booking or your reservation? The Lufthansa Call Center can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on:
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E-mail: lh-cityline@dlh.de