Lufthansa (LHAB) (LHA) announced its decision to put an end to the funding of the Junkers JU-52 also known as “Tante Ju” commercial activities.
The 83-year-old aircraft, registered D-AQUI, was still operating 16-passenger tourist flights in Germany and Europe. Built in 1936, it was acquired and restored by Lufthansa (LHAB) (LHA) in 1984. It had been flown ever since by the Deutsche Lufthansa Berlin Stiftung.
But the airline now confirmed to Flightglobal that it would cease the €1 million per year costing funding of the foundation. As for the future of the aircraft, it may be put to use during air shows but “a decision has not yet been made“.
In 2007, the German airline also started restoring a Lockheed L-1649 Starliner, for which it also planned to offer tourist flights by 2011. But this project, which was since delayed several times, has now been abandoned and Lufthansa (LHAB) (LHA) has made no “decision on its future”.
On August 4, 2018, another Junker JU-52, registered HB-HOT, of the company JU-Air crashed against a mountain of the Swiss Alps. The plane was transporting 11 men and 9 women, none survived. However, Lufthansa (LHAB) (LHA) said that its decision to retire its own aircraft had no link with the accident.