# Luxair

Luxair, legally Luxair, Société Luxembourgeoise de Navigation Aérienne S.A., is a flag carrier of Luxembourg with its headquarters in Munsbach, Luxembourg, and hub at Luxembourg Airport. It operates scheduled services to destinations in Europe, North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Middle East with additional charter and seasonal services. It is Luxembourg's only passenger-carrying airline offering regular, non-charter service.

## History
### Early years

Luxair descended from Luxembourg Airlines, which was founded in 1948. Luxair was set up in 1961 to meet the growing demand for air links between Luxembourg and other European cities. In 1962, Luxembourg Airlines became Luxair and began flights by launching a Luxembourg–Paris route with a Fokker F27 Friendship.
From 1964 to 1969, Luxair operated three Lockheed L-1649A Starliner aircraft in a cooperative agreement with Trek Airways, from Luxembourg to Johannesburg. The Starliners were painted in Luxair livery and were registered in Luxembourg. By 1967, Luxair's fleet consisted of three Fokker F27 Friendships and one Vickers Viscount. The latter was written off in a non-fatal accident in 1969 and replaced the following year by the airline's first jet airliner, a Sud Aviation Caravelle. By 1976, Luxair was operating a Boeing 707 with a Boeing 737-200 then joining the fleet in 1977.
Over the years, Luxair gradually introduced further jet aircraft: Boeing 737-400s and Boeing 737-500s; as well as Fokker 50 turboprops and Embraer ERJ-135 and ERJ-145 regional jets. In the 1980s, Boeing 747SPs owned by South African Trek Airways and operated by LUXAVIA were painted in Luxair colours, flying routes between South Africa and Europe, as well as holiday charters from Luxembourg. LUXAVIA was a joint venture between Trek Airways and Luxair, enabling Trek Airways to avoid the repercussions of widespread anti-Apartheid boycotts.

### Development since the 2000s

In March 2003, Luxair ordered two new Boeing 737-700s to replace its older Boeing aircraft. The first of the new aircraft was delivered on 18 February 2004. A third aircraft was ordered in August 2003 and delivered in January 2005.
On 21 December 2003, Luxair launched a new logo depicting a flying boomerang. The previous logo had been in use for 42 years.
To move to an all-jet fleet, the last Fokker 50 aircraft was withdrawn from service in April 2005. The rising cost of oil made operating regional jets increasingly difficult. To lessen its exposure, Luxair decided to reintroduce turboprop aircraft, and in June 2006 it signed a firm order with Bombardier Aerospace for three Dash 8-Q400s, plus three options. The last of the three aircraft was delivered in September 2007. Two additional Q400s were ordered later.
In October 2008, Luxair decided to place an order for its first Boeing 737-800. This aircraft replaced the last Boeing 737-500 in Luxair's fleet and facilitated Luxair's offer on its holiday destinations. In 2009, the airline was awarded as the most punctual scheduled operator at London City Airport during 2008 by Flight on Time, based on CAA statistics. In 2011 Luxair carried 1,302,771 passengers.
In 2013 and 2014, two new Boeing 737-800s fitted with Boeing Sky Interior became part of the fleet, which enabled Luxair to retire the last Boeing 737-500 from service.
In July 2015, Luxair's minority shareholder Lufthansa announced it would sell its 13 per cent stake in the airline it had held since 1993. The government of Luxembourg was named as the preferred buyer. In November 2015, the sale was finalized when Lufthansa sold its entire stake to the state of Luxembourg. Luxair also announced it would stop flying its route to Frankfurt Airport previously operated on a codeshare with Lufthansa as the latter started the same route itself. Luxair is still part of the Lufthansa frequent flyer program Miles & More.
After the bankruptcy of Air Berlin, Luxair announced they would begin flying from Saarbrücken Airport to Berlin Tegel Airport utilising a Bombardier CRJ700 which Luxair leased from Adria Airways based in Saarbrücken.

## Corporate affairs
### Ownership

As of November 2015, after Lufthansa sold its shares, the airline is owned by the State of Luxembourg (52.04%), Banque et Caisse d'Épargne de l'État (21.81%), Banque Internationale à Luxembourg (13.14%), the Luxair Group and others (13.11%). In total, the State of Luxembourg owns 74.98% of the company through various state-owned corporations and its holding of 10% of Banque Internationale à Luxembourg.

### Business trends

The key figures for the Luxair Group since 2008 are shown below:
| | Turnover (€m) | Net profit (€m) | Number of employees | Number of passengers (m) | Passenger load factor (%) | Cargo carried (000s tons) | Number of aircraft |
| 2008 | 417 | 8.5 | 2,461 | 1.22 | 73.4 | 810 | 15 |
| 2009 | 383 | 1.3 | 2,334 | 1.18 | 72.9 | 672 | 16 |
| 2010 | 409 | 8.9 | 2,317 | 1.25 | 73.8 | 735 | 16 |
| 2011 | 429 | 3.6 | 2,344 | 1.30 | 72.4 | 678 | 16 |
| 2012 | 447 | −21.2 | 2,309 | 1.37 | 73.4 | 638 | 16 |
| 2013 | 472 | 8.2 | 2,288 | 1.51 | 75.3 | 693 | 16 |
| 2014 | 495 | −0.4 | 2,394 | 1.68 | 74.5 | 725 | 17 |
| 2015 | 505 | 9.7 | 2,438 | 1.81 | 72.8 | 759 | 17 |
| 2016 | 498 | 4.4 | 2,527 | 1.84 | 71.6 | 822 | 16 |
| 2017 | 535 | 9.5 | 2,658 | 1.93 | 71.6 | 940 | 17 |
| 2018 | 593 | 12.5 | 2,828 | 2.13 | 72.6 | 957 | 17 |
| 2019 | 615 | 8.1 | 2,877 | 2.14 | 73.0 | 893 | 19 |
| 2020 | 263 | −154 | 2,820 | 0.66 | 58.4 | 947 | 19 |
| 2021 | 457 | −2.3 | 2,705 | 1.08 | 68.6 | 1124 | 19 |
| 2022 | 683 | 67.1 | 3,118 | 1.2 | | 995 | 19 |

## Destinations

As of September 2024, Luxair flies (or has flown) to the following destinations:
| Country | City | Airport | Notes |
| Austria | Innsbruck | Innsbruck Airport | Seasonal |
| Austria | Salzburg | Salzburg Airport | Seasonal |
| Austria | Vienna | Vienna International Airport | |
| Belgium | Antwerp | Antwerp International Airport | Terminated |
| Belgium | Brussels | Brussels Airport | Terminated |
| Bulgaria | Burgas | Burgas Airport | Seasonal |
| Bulgaria | Varna | Varna Airport | Seasonal |
| Cape Verde | Boa Vista | Aristides Pereira International Airport | Seasonal |
| Cape Verde | Praia | Nelson Mandela International Airport | |
| Cape Verde | Sal | Amilcar Cabral International Airport | |
| Cape Verde | São Vicente | Cesária Évora Airport | Seasonal |
| Croatia | Brač | Brač Airport | |
| Croatia | Dubrovnik | Dubrovnik Airport | Seasonal |
| Croatia | Split | Split Airport | Terminated |
| Croatia | Zadar | Zadar Airport | Seasonal |
| Cyprus | Paphos | Paphos International Airport | Terminated |
| Czech Republic | Prague | Václav Havel Airport Prague | |
| Denmark | Copenhagen | Copenhagen Airport | |
| Egypt | Hurghada | Hurghada International Airport | |
| Egypt | Marsa Alam | Marsa Alam International Airport | |
| Finland | Helsinki | Helsinki Airport | Terminated |
| Finland | Rovaniemi | Rovaniemi Airport | Terminated |
| France | Ajaccio | Ajaccio Napoleon Bonaparte Airport | Seasonal |
| France | Bastia | Bastia – Poretta Airport | Seasonal |
| France | Biarritz | Biarritz Pays Basque Airport | Seasonal |
| France | Bordeaux | Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport | |
| France | Calvi | Calvi – Sainte-Catherine Airport | Seasonal |
| France | Châlons | Châlons Vatry Airport | Terminated |
| France | Figari | Figari–Sud Corse Airport | Seasonal |
| France | La Rochelle | La Rochelle – Île de Ré Airport | Terminated |
| France | Marseille | Marseille Provence Airport | Terminated |
| France | Montpellier | Montpellier–Méditerranée Airport | |
| France | Nantes | Nantes Atlantique Airport | Terminated |
| France | Nice | Nice Côte d'Azur Airport | |
| France | Paris | Charles de Gaulle Airport | |
| France | Toulon | Toulon–Hyères Airports | Seasonal |
| Germany | Berlin | Berlin Brandenburg Airport | |
| Germany | Berlin | Berlin Tegel Airport | Airport Closed |
| Germany | Frankfurt | Frankfurt Airport | Terminated |
| Germany | Hamburg | Hamburg Airport | |
| Germany | Heringsdorf | Heringsdorf Airport | Seasonal |
| Germany | Munich | Munich Airport | |
| Germany | Rostock | Rostock–Laage Airport | Terminated |
| Germany | Saarbrücken | Saarbrücken Airport | Terminated |
| Germany | Sylt | Sylt Airport | Seasonal |
| Greece | Athens | Athens International Airport | Terminated |
| Greece | Chania | Chania International Airport | |
| Greece | Corfu | Corfu International Airport | Seasonal |
| Greece | Heraklion | Heraklion International Airport | Seasonal |
| Greece | Kos | Kos International Airport | Seasonal |
| Greece | Mykonos | Mykonos Airport | Terminated |
| Greece | Rhodes | Rhodes International Airport | Seasonal |
| Greece | Santorini | Santorini International Airport | Seasonal |
| Greece | Thessaloniki | Thessaloniki Airport | Seasonal |
| Hungary | Budapest | Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport | |
| Iceland | Reykjavík | Keflavík International Airport | Terminated |
| Ireland | Dublin | Dublin Airport | |
| Italy | Bari | Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport | |
| Italy | Bologna | Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport | |
| Italy | Brindisi | Brindisi Airport | Seasonal |
| Italy | Cagliari | Cagliari Elmas Airport | Seasonal |
| Italy | Catania | Catania–Fontanarossa Airport | Seasonal |
| Italy | Florence | Florence Airport | Seasonal |
| Italy | Lamezia Terme | Lamezia Terme International Airport | Seasonal |
| Italy | Milan | Linate Airport | |
| Italy | Milan | Milan Malpensa Airport | |
| Italy | Naples | Naples International Airport | Seasonal |
| Italy | Olbia | Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport | Seasonal |
| Italy | Palermo | Falcone Borsellino Airport | Seasonal |
| Italy | Pescara | Abruzzo Airport | |
| Italy | Rimini | Federico Fellini International Airport | Seasonal |
| Italy | Rome | Rome Fiumicino Airport | |
| Italy | Turin | Turin Airport | Terminated |
| Italy | Venice | Venice Marco Polo Airport | |
| Luxembourg | Luxembourg City | Luxembourg Airport | Hub |
| Malta | Luqa | Malta International Airport | |
| Montenegro | Podgorica | Podgorica Airport | Terminated |
| Montenegro | Tivat | Tivat Airport | Seasonal |
| Morocco | Agadir | Agadir–Al Massira Airport | Seasonal |
| Morocco | Marrakech | Marrakesh Menara Airport | |
| Netherlands | Amsterdam | Amsterdam Airport Schiphol | Terminated |
| Netherlands | Rotterdam | Rotterdam The Hague Airport | |
| Norway | Oslo | Oslo Gardermoen Airport | |
| Poland | Kraków | Kraków John Paul II International Airport | |
| Poland | Warsaw | Warsaw Chopin Airport | |
| Portugal | Faro | Faro Airport | |
| Portugal | Funchal | Madeira Airport | |
| Portugal | Lisbon | Lisbon Airport | |
| Portugal | Porto | Porto Airport | |
| Romania | Bucharest | Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport | |
| Senegal | Dakar | Blaise Diagne International Airport | Seasonal |
| Serbia | Belgrade | Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport | Terminated |
| South Africa | Johannesburg | O. R. Tambo International Airport | Terminated |
| Spain | Alicante | Alicante–Elche Miguel Hernández Airport | Terminated |
| Spain | Almería | Almería Airport | Seasonal |
| Spain | Barcelona | Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport | |
| Spain | Bilbao | Bilbao Airport | Terminated |
| Spain | Fuerteventura | Fuerteventura Airport | |
| Spain | Girona | Girona Costa Brava Airport | Terminated |
| Spain | Ibiza | Ibiza Airport | Seasonal |
| Spain | Jerez de la Frontera | Jerez Airport | Seasonal |
| Spain | Lanzarote | Lanzarote Airport | |
| Spain | Las Palmas | Gran Canaria Airport | |
| Spain | Madrid | Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport | |
| Spain | Málaga | Málaga Airport | |
| Spain | Menorca | Menorca Airport | Seasonal |
| Spain | Palma de Mallorca | Palma de Mallorca Airport | |
| Spain | Tenerife | Tenerife South Airport | |
| Spain | Valencia | Valencia Airport | Seasonal |
| Sweden | Sälen/Trysil | Sälen/Scandinavian Mountains Airport | Terminated |
| Sweden | Stockholm | Stockholm Arlanda Airport | |
| Switzerland | Geneva | Geneva Airport | |
| Switzerland | Zurich | Zurich Airport | Terminated |
| Tunisia | Djerba | Djerba–Zarzis International Airport | Seasonal |
| Tunisia | Enfidha | Enfidha–Hammamet International Airport | |
| Tunisia | Monastir | Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport | |
| Tunisia | Tunis | Tunis–Carthage International Airport | |
| Turkey | Antalya | Antalya Airport | Seasonal |
| Turkey | Izmir | İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport | |
| United Arab Emirates | Dubai | Al Maktoum International Airport | Seasonal |
| United Arab Emirates | Dubai | Dubai International Airport | Seasonal |
| United Arab Emirates | Ras Al Khaimah | Ras Al Khaimah International Airport | Terminated |
| United Kingdom | London | London City Airport | |
| United Kingdom | London | Heathrow Airport | Terminated |
| United Kingdom | Manchester | Manchester Airport | |
| United States | New York City | John F. Kennedy International Airport | Terminated |

### Codeshare agreements

Luxair has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:
* Aegean Airlines
* Air France
* Air Serbia
* Austrian Airlines
* ITA Airways
* LOT Polish Airlines
* Lufthansa
* Scandinavian Airlines
* TAP Air Portugal
* Turkish Airlines

## Fleet
### Current fleet

As of December 2024, Luxair operates the following aircraft:
Luxair fleet :
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
| Boeing 737-700 | 4 | — | 141 | |
| Boeing 737-800 | 4 | — | 186 | |
| Boeing 737 MAX 7 | — | 4 | TBA | |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 2 | 4 | 186 | 2 to be leased. |
| Boeing 737 MAX 10 | — | 2 | TBA | Order with 2 options. |
| De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 | 11 | — | 76 | |
| Embraer E195-E2 | — | 6 | 136 | 4 ordered with 2 options and 3 purchase rights. Deliveries begin Q4 2025. Options for 2 into firm order in December 2024. |
| Total | 21 | 16 | | |

### Historical fleet

Luxair previously also operated the following aircraft types:
* Airbus A300B4-203
* Boeing 707
* Boeing 737-200
* Boeing 737-400
* Boeing 737-500
* Boeing 747SP
* Boeing 767-300ER
* Bombardier CRJ700
* Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia
* Embraer ERJ-135
* Embraer ERJ-145
* Fokker F27 Friendship
* Fokker 50
* Sud Aviation Caravelle 6R
* Vickers Viscount

### Special liveries

Starting from 2020, Luxair released special liveries for some of its aircraft. On 25 July 2021, the company introduced the SUMO Artwork Luxair's Boeing 737/800. The livery was designed by the local street artist Christian "SUMO" Pearson. The special livery was meant to spread a positive message at the moment of the restart of operations after the first COVID-19 lockdown and was the main action of the company's broader "FlyingIsAnArt" project: On 25 November 2020, the company released a de Havilland Q400 with an orange logo to raise awareness for violence against women.
In July 2022, Luxair was the world's first airline to paint a livery of one of its aircraft in a rainbow, to support Luxembourg Pride Month. This project inspired the German carrier Lufthansa, which one year later decided to do the same on one of its aircraft.
In October 2022, Luxair painted one of its aircraft with pink artwork by the local artist Lisa Junius in partnership with Think Pink Lux, to contribute to the Pink October worldwide campaign.

## Accidents and incidents

* On 22 December 1969, a Vickers Viscount (registration LX-LGC) arriving from Frankfurt Airport, Germany, landed 60% on the right-hand side of R24, hit a snowbank piled up by snowplows at the intersection with runway 20 during landing and rollout at Luxembourg Findel Airport in freezing fog weather. No passengers were killed, but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. It was scrapped in May 1970.
* On 6 November 2002, Luxair Flight 9642, a Fokker 50 (registration LX-LGB) incoming from Berlin, Germany, crashed in a field near the village of Niederanven during its final approach to Luxembourg Findel Airport. Twenty passengers and two crew members died, including artist Michel Majerus. Only the pilot in command and one passenger survived. This is the only fatal accident in Luxair's history.
* On 30 September 2015, Luxair Flight 9562, operated by a Bombardier Q400, was taking off from Saarbrücken Airport when the first officer retracted the landing gear before the aircraft lifted off. The aircraft collapsed onto its belly and came to a stop on the runway. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and Luxair ordered a replacement Q400 to be delivered in August 2016.
* On 4 February 2024, Luxair Flight 5682 flying between Ljubljana and Luxembourg was forced to land in Munich, after pilots reported a crack in their cockpit windshield. The Dash-8 plane was grounded for approximately 31 hours in Munich, repaired, and returned to Luxembourg.