After Decade Of Restoration In Auburn, Iconic ’50s Airliner Returning To Germany

AUBURN — After 10 years of restoration work, the historic 1950s-era Lufthansa airliner housed in a hangar at Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport will be packed up and shipped to Germany, Lufthansa Technik announced Thursday. At different phases, the project to restore the Lockheed L-1649A “Super Star” Constellation employed hundreds of people. Project Manager Oliver Sturm said 70 people work there now. “The airplane is too complex to finish here because it’s a very old aircraft, coming from the ’50s,” Sturm said. He didn’t have a firm date for its departure nor did he know whether any final public tours were planned. “(The decision) is so brand new, we have to figure out what does it mean for the people, for the crew, for the aircraft,” he said. In a statement released from Lufthansa Technik’s corporate parent, the company thanked local workers, business partners and both communities for its “steadfast support.” “The project concludes an important phase since its inception and is soon to commence the next phase of its journey and will be welcomed in Germany where it will continue to be a shining example of German-U.S.