A new-look livery for German flag-carrier Lufthansa had been widely anticipated for months and ever since the rumours started, creative AvGeeks have been circulating pictures of what they think the new look will be. But Lufthansa somehow managed to avoid making any comment on the issue for months – was a new look really about to be revealed?
That was until the end of January when one the carrier’s Boeing 747-800’s suddenly made its way to a paint hangar near Rome. Finally, we had confirmation a new livery was definitely coming – it didn’t take long for Lufthansa’s marketing team to announce a special media event to be held on 7th February.
Of course, a new look livery for any airline (or business for that matter is a major event) – it would have taken many months to get to this point and let’s not even think about the millions of Euro’s invested in developing the new brand design.
It will cost much more in rebranding the whole business – the most obvious symbol will be Lufthansa’s entire fleet of aircraft which will be in need of a paint job. But just imagine updating a brand for an organisation with a worldwide presence. The decision to rebrand is not one taken lightly and it requires military precision planning.
So it came as quite a surprise that Lufthansa’s chief executive, Carsten Spohr went ahead and revealed Lufthansa’s eagerly anticipated new-look at a completely unrelated media event in Cape Town on 1st February. Obviously, it didn’t take long for official photos of the new look livery to circulate across the internet.
Lufthansa says it decided to undertake the mammoth task of updating its logo as a way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of its corporate symbol – the stylized crane designed by graphic designer and architect Otto Firle for Lufthansa’s predecessor airline, Deutsche Luft-Reederei.
Explaining the decision, Lufthansa’s marketing director Alexander Schlaubitz explained: “Over the years, the crane has become a symbol of Lufthansa’s values. He stands for competence, cosmopolitanism and quality around the globe, arouses confidence and sympathy.”
Ever since the surprise reveal, Lufthansa’s marketing team has been busy ‘leaking’ more and more details about the new look –
There’s a new shade of blue at the horizon. ✈️ #ExploreTheNew ? pic.twitter.com/tkxGEkgGnL
— Lufthansa (@lufthansa) February 3, 2018
Under the slogan of “Much changes, good remains” and using a series of different hashtags including #LufthansaBlue and #ExploreTheNew, Lufthansa has been either planning this surprise move has part of a wider unveiling or has done its best to recover from a major marketing fail.
Much changes. Good remains. #LufthansaBlue pic.twitter.com/qMs6FgZhCc
— Lufthansa News (@lufthansaNews) February 1, 2018
Much changes. Good remains. Part 2 #LufthansaBlue pic.twitter.com/h585O5NLzz
— Lufthansa News (@lufthansaNews) February 1, 2018
Much changes. Good remains. Part 3 #LufthansaBlue
more to come… ? pic.twitter.com/K29ziRAKd8— Lufthansa News (@lufthansaNews) February 2, 2018
According to Lufthansa, it took 1,100 litres of high-gloss paint to repaint its first Boeing 747-800 –
We now know the first Lufthansa plane to be sporting the new-look has arrived back at the airline’s own facilities in Hamburg, Germany where it’s been handed over to Lufthansa Technik to install the refreshed design across the aircraft’s interior.
That’s ahead of the Boeing 747 and a yet to be revealed Airbus A321, both in the new colours, embarking on a tour of Germany on 8th February, just one day after the rebranding is ‘officially’ unveiled to the world’s press.
At that point, we should a lot more details – like why Lufthansa has ditched its famous and much-loved yellow accent colour? And perhaps how much it’s going to cost the airline. Just don’t expect to see every Lufthansa plane with the new design anytime soon – Carsten Sophr has already said it will take 8-years to paint all of the planes in Lufthansa’s 330-strong fleet.
