in a recent thread, the topic of LH's system of allocating registrations came up.
I decided to do some research and start this separate thread for all interested parties.
A couple of words up front:
The first letter D stands for the country, Germany or Deutschland.
The second letter is attributed in relation to the MTOW. All LH a/c fall in the heaviest category, A.
Letters three to five are given out ad libidum; LH chose to apply the following system:
Third Letter:
Manufacturer
D-AB = Boeing
D-AC = Convair, later Braathens leases, today Canadair
D-AD = Douglas
D-AF = Fokker
D-AI = Airbus
D-AL = Lockheed, today MD11
D-AN = Vickers
D-AP = leased from Privatair
D-AV = Avro
Fourth Letter:
Type of a/c
D-ABE = 737-100, later 737-300
D-ABF/D-ABH/D-ABM 737-200B
D-ABI = 727-100, later 737-500
since there were 27 of them, only the first 26 could get D-ABIA through D-ABIZ, hence the last 727-100 was assigned the first 727-200 registration, D-ABBI
D-ABI/D-ABJ = 737-500
D-ABK = 727-200, later 737-400
D-ABN = 757-200 (including those leased from Monarch and Air Holland)
D-ABO/D-ABU = 707 and 720; D-ABO today 757-300
D-ABT = 747-400M
D-ABU = 707, later 767 (including those 767s leased from NG)
D-ABV = 747-400
D-ABW = 737-300 at Condor and German Cargo
D-ABX = 737-300
D-ABY/D-ABZ = 747-100, -200
Special cases are 727-200 and 737-200QC: there, the fifth letter was used to identify the subfleet while the fourth went B, C, D, E etc.:
D-AB_E = 737-200QC (-> D-ABBE, D-ABCE, D-ABDE...)
D-AB_I = 727-200 (and the last 727-100, see above) (-> D-ABBI, D-ABCI, D-ABDI...)
D-ACH = CRJ200
D-ACL/D-ACJ CRJ100
D-ACP = CRJ700
D-ADU = DC8
D-AD_O = DC10 (the same deviation as described above)
D-AFK = F50
D-AIA = A300B2, later A300B4-600
D-AIB = A300B4-2C, later A340-200
D-AIC = A310-200, later Condor Berlin A320
D-AID = A310-300
D-AIG/D-AIF = A340-300
D-AIH = A340-600
D-AIK = 330-300
D-AIL = A319
D-AIM = leased 330-200 and 340-200, ex Swissair and Sabena
D-AIP/D-AIQ = A320
D-AIR = A321-100
D-AIS = A321-200
D-AIT = A300 leased from Trans Australia
D-ALC = MD11
D-APA = ACJ leased from Privatair
D-AVR = ARJ
In the few historic cases where the plane was too light to get A as the second letter, A was chosen as the third one:
F27s were D-BARI and D-BARO, DC3s were D-CADE, D-CADI and D-CADO.
Additionally, LH bought a 747-430 (c/n 1292) from Boeing only to pass her on directly to Royal Flight Oman. For the short time she was with LH (i.e. the ferry flights), she was registered D-ARFO.
Photo © Frank Unterspann
The following planes were leased in by LH without being re-registered:
Hapag-Lloyd A310 D-AHLK, D-AHLZ, D-AMAY
Photo © Johan Ljungdahl
DC8 c/n 1 N8008D
Photo © Mel Lawrence
Germania 737-300 D-AGEC, D
Photo © Konstantin von Wedelstaedt | Photo © Frank Schaefer |
Germania 737-700 D-AGES, V, W
Photo © JetPix
Air France A340-200 F-GNIB
Photo © Konstantin von Wedelstaedt
Privatair BBJ HB-IIQ
Photo © Michael F. McLaughlin
That's it, enjoy. If you have anything to add or spot mistakes in my little compilation, feel free to post.
Daniel