The first Lufthansa flight to Zagreb was from Frankfurt on 25 August 1967.
Since then the company has significantly increased the number of flights and passengers travelling to Zagreb and other Croatian destinations, with the number of flights this year having been increased to 150 weekly, the Lufthansa Group manager for Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Slovenia and Serbia, Bernhard Wodl, said.
Wodl said this week the company was also marking the 50th anniversary of its flight service to Belgrade.
Apart from Zagreb, Lufthansa also flies to Split, Dubrovnik, Pula and Zadar, Wodl said, noting that there were 57 flights per week to Zagreb.
He expressed satisfaction with the Zagreb airport's new concessionaire, the Zagreb International Airport (MZLZ) company, as well as with the plane occupancy rate.
Attending the ceremony was also German Ambassador Thomas E. Schultze, who recalled that on 25 August 1967, colour television programmes started to be aired in Germany.
MZLZ CEO Jacques Feron said he expected the number of passengers at Zagreb Airport to increase by more than 20% compared to last year.
The Lufthansa Group, which also comprises Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, SWISS and Eurowings, operates more than 11,000 flights weekly to more than 100 countries. Last year, the group transported more than 110 million passengers, one of its best results ever.
The group operates a fleet of 617 planes and by 2025 its member companies plan to buy an additional 205 planes.