Lufthansa is to store two of its vintage airliners in Bremen. The aircraft will be stored in a warehouse until their final fate is decided. The airline will begin transporting the aircraft on Sunday.

While some aircraft end up at a graveyard once their time at an airline is done, occasionally they have a different fate. Take the British Airways Concordes, for instance. Rather than being scrapped, they are all in museums spread across the globe. British Airways still owns these Concordes to this day. Lufthansa too still owns several of its older aircraft, including the two being sent to storage.

Lockheed L1649A Super Star

The first aircraft to head to Bremen will be Lufthansa's Lockheed Super Star. It is currently in the United States where it has just been restored. However, it won't be flying to Germany. The aircraft is located in Auburn, in the state of Maine.

Lufthansa, Junkers Ju-52, Lockheed L-1649A
A Lockheed Super Star in Lufthansa colours. Photo: Lufthansa

The aircraft is currently in four main pieces comprised of the two wings, the main fuselage, and a separate tail part. It will be driven to the Port of Portland, also in Maine, departing on Sunday (08/09/2019). It will then be loaded onto a boat with 200 different containers, each with different parts of the aircraft. The ship will leave on the 18th of September and is expected to arrive in Bremen on the 5th of October 2019.

Junkers Ju 52

Lufthansa's iconic Junkers Ju-52 will join the Super Star in Bremen. However, its journey will start slightly later on the 17th of September 2019. The aircraft will also travel by land as it took its last flight in August 2018. It will be split into three parts and transported at night due to its size. The journey to Bremen will start in Hamburg where the aircraft is currently located.

Lufthansa, Junkers Ju-52, Lockheed L-1649A
The Junkers Ju-52 aircraft will be transported by road. Photo: Lufthansa

What's next for the aircraft?

Both aircraft are still owned by Lufthansa. The airline's board has decided to store the aircraft in the warehouse in Bremen for the time being. According to Lufthansa, the airline "attaches great importance to the historical value of the two aircraft".

The airline's board has decided to store the aircraft so that they are available to be placed into a later exhibition. One option could be the Technik Museum Sinsheim near Mannheim. The German museum already houses historic aircraft including an Air France Concorde and its rival the Tupolev TU-144.

What do you think should happen to the two aircraft? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!