Adding routes, subtracting hurdles. Building a truly global network requires vision. From its early days, the Lufthansa Group and its predecessors have been essential partners in connecting economies and enabling businesses to move at the speed of flight. And over the past decades, the Lufthansa Group has grown into a family of airlines, each adding their unique expertise to an ever-growing network.
Expanding into a global network
Connecting economies
Although they no longer exist, the first major European airlines, such as Deutsche Luft Hansa and Swissair, pioneered aviation by establishing international airmail routes in the 1920s and 1930s. They became vital partners for industries and governments needing to connect with the world at unprecedented speed. In short, globalization happened—and it started on the early runways, a fact that is still honored by today’s Lufthansa Group airlines, who continue what they started: connecting the world.
The big expansion
It’s clear that the Lufthansa Group has grown over the past few decades. Along with this growth, the route network has expanded with each new airline and their unique strengths and regional expertise. Below, we list all current Lufthansa Group airlines and the year they expanded the combined route network.
2003
Italy expert Air Dolomiti joins the Lufthansa Group and expands the joint route network with Lufthansa to include numerous Italian destinations.
2005
SWISS joins the Lufthansa Group, bringing together two of Central Europe’s largest premium airlines.
2008
Edelweiss, SWISS’s sister company, joins the family, bringing with it a wealth of expertise in leisure travel.
2009
Austrian Airlines joins the Lufthansa Group, offering excellent Austrian hospitality and strengthening the Group’s services to destinations in Central and Eastern Europe.
2009
The Belgian airline Brussels Airlines joins the Lufthansa Group, adding distinctive African experience and lots of new routes to destinations across the continent.
2011
Eurowings is now officially part of the Lufthansa Group, with a focus on flights to popular vacation destinations.
2021
Renamed Discover Airlines in 2023, Eurowings Discover strengthens the Lufthansa Group by offering a wider range of quality leisure flights to primarily tourist destinations.
2025
ITA Airways, Italy’s largest airline, joins the Lufthansa Group, adding Rome as a sixth hub alongside Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Brussels, and Vienna.
1997
The alliance revolution
One step for a few major airlines, but a giant leap for seamless business travel across the world—the founding of Star Alliance in 1997. This alliance made intercontinental travel way more accessible by providing a seamless global network across multiple major international airlines.
Today’s integrated network
Complex, multi-airline business trips—all with just one booking. That’s today’s integrated network in a nutshell. With six European hubs, over 300 destinations, and numerous international partnerships and alliances, the Lufthansa Group provides unparalleled access to nearly every corner of the globe for both passengers and cargo, with Lufthansa Cargo playing a vital role in export-driven economies.
With a comprehensive range of integrated travel solutions, the Lufthansa Group provides an ecosystem that keeps modern global business moving.
