Lufthansa Moves Beyond Post War History as German Airline Admits Deep Involvement in Nazi Operations and Forced Labour Networks in Germany

Lufthansa, one of Germany’s most recognisable airlines, is now openly acknowledging something it spent decades keeping at arm’s length: its deep involvement in the Nazi system during the Second World War.

For years, the company stressed that the Lufthansa operating today, relaunched in 1953, was separate from the airline that existed between 1926 and 1945.

But as the airline marks nearly a century since its original founding, it has become clear Lufthansa is no longer willing to treat that era as someone else’s history.

Instead, the airline is confronting it directly.

“Clearly Part of the System,” CEO Admits

This week, Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr made one of the most direct statements the company has ever offered about its past.

Speaking at a press conference at Lufthansa’s headquarters at Frankfurt Airport, Spohr said plainly that Lufthansa was “clearly part of the system.”

He explained that this included the airline’s role in supporting Nazi military goals, contributing to the wartime economy, and even functioning as a kind of hidden air force operation under the regime.

It was a rare moment of corporate honesty about an era many German institutions have struggled to fully reckon with.

Forced Labour and Wartime Exploitation

One of the most troubling elements being revisited is Lufthansa’s use of forced labour during the war years.

From around 1940 onwards, forced labourers were made to work in workshops and armaments factories connected to the airline’s operations.

These workers helped keep the company running as Germany’s war machine intensified.

By 1944, historians say the airline was earning as much as two-thirds of its revenue from armaments contracts, a staggering figure that shows just how tied it had become to the Nazi war economy.

Reports suggest Lufthansa relied on roughly 10,000 forced labourers, including deported Ukrainians and German Jews.

This is part of what the company itself has called the darkest chapter in its history.

A New Historical Investigation and Public Exhibition

To coincide with its 100-year anniversary, Lufthansa has commissioned a major new historical study by independent historians.

The airline also plans to open an exhibition exploring its role under National Socialism and release a book detailing the findings.

In an official statement, Lufthansa said it became intertwined with the Nazi regime and its crimes, and that the company is using this anniversary as a moment to examine its past honestly rather than focusing only on the post-war years.

The Complicated Question of Corporate Continuity

Legally speaking, today’s Deutsche Lufthansa AG is not the direct successor of the original Deutsche Luft Hansa AG founded in 1926.

The wartime airline was dissolved in 1946 after Germany’s defeat.

However, the modern company did inherit important elements of its identity, including the Lufthansa name, the crane logo, and the familiar branding that still represents the airline today.

That symbolic continuity has made it harder for the airline to claim complete separation from its origins, even if corporate paperwork says otherwise.

Spohr has argued that moral responsibility doesn’t disappear just because legal structures changed.

Historians Say Lufthansa Voluntarily Aligned With the Nazis

Historian Manfred Grieger, involved in the research, noted that Luft Hansa did not merely fall under Nazi control unwillingly.

Instead, he argues the airline aligned itself voluntarily, especially because it was initially state-subsidised and benefited from the regime’s military ambitions.

During the war, the airline shifted further into armaments production and eventually became closely integrated with the Luftwaffe, Germany’s air force.

In other words, Lufthansa was not just an airline during this period, it became part of the machinery of war.

Other Known Context: Germany’s Broader Reckoning With WWII Industry

Lufthansa’s reckoning comes as many major German companies have spent recent decades reassessing their roles during the Nazi era.

Other well-known firms, including Volkswagen, BMW, Siemens, and Deutsche Bank, have also faced scrutiny for their involvement in forced labour and wartime production.

Germany’s post-war culture of remembrance has increasingly pushed institutions to move beyond vague acknowledgements and toward detailed historical transparency.

Lufthansa’s new study fits into that broader national effort to confront uncomfortable truths rather than bury them.

What’s Next?

The next stage will involve the publication of the historians’ full findings, the opening of Lufthansa’s planned exhibition, and likely deeper public debate about how modern brands handle historical guilt.

As more details emerge, Lufthansa will face the challenge of showing that this is not simply symbolic, but part of a serious commitment to accountability and historical truth.

Summary:

Lufthansa has now openly admitted that it played a significant role within the Nazi system, including supporting Germany’s war economy and exploiting forced labour during World War II.

CEO Carsten Spohr described the airline as clearly part of the system, and the company is commissioning new historical research, releasing a book, and launching an exhibition to examine its darkest period.

While today’s Lufthansa is not the legal successor of the original Luft Hansa, the airline acknowledges that understanding and owning its roots is essential, especially as Germany continues its broader reckoning with the legacy of Nazi-era industry.