D-AGER – Germania Boeing 737: The 30th Anniversary Aircraft
Green fuselage.
White lettering.
A large anniversary emblem on the tail.
And one registration that had already been connected with Germania for almost two decades.
D-AGER.
In 2016, Germania celebrated its 30th anniversary.
Instead of marking the occasion only on the ground, the German airline transformed one of its Boeing 737s into a flying anniversary tribute.
D-AGER received a distinctive special livery.
The aircraft's fuselage became green.
Large white #flygermania lettering stretched across the aircraft.
And the tail proudly displayed the airline's 30-year anniversary emblem.
There was only one Germania aircraft in this special design.
But D-AGER's story had started long before the anniversary.
Built in 1998, this Boeing 737-700 spent more than twenty years connected with German aviation.
Germania.
LTU and Tjæreborg.
Hapag-Lloyd Express.
TUIfly.
Air Berlin.
Then Germania again.
When Germania unexpectedly ceased operations in February 2019, D-AGER's flying career ended as well.
The aircraft was eventually dismantled in Spain.
But unusually, two very different parts of D-AGER's story survived.
Part of its genuine fuselage skin was preserved by Aircrafttag.
And its cockpit section was saved and transformed into a flight simulator.
D-AGER no longer flies.
But unlike most dismantled commercial aircraft, passengers can still sit inside part of it today.
One of the Earliest Boeing 737-700s
D-AGER was built as a Boeing 737-75B with manufacturer serial number MSN 28107 and Boeing line number 27.
That line number is significant.
D-AGER was one of the very early production examples of the Boeing 737-700.
The 737-700 belonged to Boeing's new 737 Next Generation family.
Compared with the earlier 737 Classic generation, the aircraft introduced redesigned wings, updated systems, a modernized cockpit and new CFM56-7 engines.
The result was a more capable and efficient evolution of one of aviation's most successful aircraft families.
D-AGER was powered by two CFM International CFM56-7B22 engines.
In June 1998, the new aircraft was delivered to Germania.
Its registration was D-AGER.
And although its appearance would change repeatedly over the following two decades, that German registration would accompany it through almost its entire operational career.
Germania
Germania's history stretched back to the late 1970s through its predecessor SAT, but operations under the Germania name began in 1986.
The airline developed a distinctive position within German aviation.
It operated charter flights.
It flew on behalf of tour operators.
It performed services for other airlines.
And later, it increasingly developed scheduled services under its own brand.
For many passengers, Germania became associated with holiday flights from German regional airports to destinations around the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands and beyond.
Its green-and-white aircraft eventually became instantly recognizable.
But when D-AGER arrived in 1998, Germania's business model meant that an aircraft carrying a Germania registration did not necessarily always carry Germania colours.
D-AGER would demonstrate this perfectly.
Tjæreborg – A Colourful Beginning
Soon after entering service, D-AGER received a very different identity.
The aircraft was used in connection with leisure and tour-operator flying and appeared in the colours of Tjæreborg Reiser.
Tjæreborg was associated with the leisure-travel business of the period, and Germania operated aircraft for major tourism companies under full-charter arrangements.
D-AGER carried the Tjæreborg appearance from the late 1990s into 2000.
It was an early indication of how varied the aircraft's career would become.
The registration remained D-AGER.
The underlying operator remained connected with Germania.
But the visual identity presented to passengers could be completely different.
This pattern would repeat itself several times.
Back to Germania
After the Tjæreborg period, D-AGER returned to a more conventional Germania appearance.
By the early 2000s, the aircraft was once again flying with Germania titles.
But another major change in German aviation was approaching.
A new generation of low-cost airlines was emerging.
And D-AGER would become part of that story as well.
Hapag-Lloyd Express
In 2002, TUI created Hapag-Lloyd Express.
The new airline entered the rapidly expanding German low-cost market under the abbreviation HLX.
Its branding was impossible to miss.
Bright yellow aircraft.
A distinctive taxi-inspired identity.
And the slogan associated with low fares.
From 2003, D-AGER became part of the Hapag-Lloyd Express operation while continuing to be operated by Germania.
The aircraft was configured with 148 seats.
For D-AGER, this represented another completely different visual chapter.
The Boeing that had previously worn tour-operator colours now became part of Germany's emerging low-cost airline market.
hlx.com
The Hapag-Lloyd Express branding evolved.
By 2004, D-AGER appeared with hlx.com titles.
The aircraft remained the same.
Boeing 737-75B.
MSN 28107.
D-AGER.
But once again, its appearance and commercial role reflected changes taking place around it.
German aviation in the early 2000s was changing rapidly.
Traditional charter flying was evolving.
Low-cost carriers were expanding.
Tour operators were consolidating their airline activities.
And D-AGER moved through these developments while remaining operational.
TUIfly
The next transformation came in 2007.
Hapag-Lloyd Express and Hapagfly were brought together under the TUIfly brand.
D-AGER moved into this new chapter as well.
Again, Germania remained connected with the operation of the aircraft, but passengers saw another airline identity on the outside.
TUIfly.
The Boeing 737-700 had now experienced several distinct eras of German leisure aviation within less than a decade.
And another airline was waiting.
Air Berlin
In 2008, D-AGER became associated with Air Berlin.
The aircraft appeared in Air Berlin colours while being operated by Germania.
At the time, Air Berlin was growing into one of Europe's largest airlines.
For D-AGER, it was another significant change in appearance.
The aircraft that had started with Germania and subsequently represented different leisure and low-cost brands was now flying in the colours of another major German airline.
But this chapter did not last forever.
In April 2009, D-AGER returned from this arrangement.
The aircraft came back to Germania.
And this time, its connection with the airline would eventually lead to its most recognizable appearance.
Back Home
By the 2010s, Germania was increasingly building its own brand.
The green-and-white livery became a familiar sight at airports across Germany and European holiday destinations.
D-AGER returned to that world.
The aircraft was now more than a decade old.
But the Boeing 737-700 remained an effective short- and medium-haul aircraft.
D-AGER continued carrying passengers to destinations throughout Germania's network.
Canary Islands.
Balearic Islands.
Greece.
Portugal.
Spain.
And numerous European cities.
Photographs document D-AGER at airports from Düsseldorf and Hamburg to Rhodes, Gran Canaria, Madeira and Geneva.
The aircraft had become a genuine workhorse.
Then came 2016.
30 Years of Germania
Germania began operations under its familiar name in 1986.
Thirty years later, the airline wanted to celebrate.
D-AGER was selected as the aircraft that would carry the anniversary into the skies.
In February 2016, the Boeing received a completely new appearance.
And it was impossible to overlook.
The fuselage was painted in a striking green.
Large white #flygermania lettering appeared along the side.
The tail carried a prominent anniversary roundel.
30 years.
1986–2016.
The aircraft became Germania's flying birthday card.
D-AGER was the only aircraft to carry this particular anniversary design.
A Flying Anniversary Celebration
The special aircraft did not simply sit on display.
It continued operating normal Germania services.
That meant the 30th-anniversary design travelled throughout the airline's network.
In May 2016, D-AGER received a special welcome at London Gatwick.
Germania representatives and Gatwick staff met the aircraft, while crew members helped connect the airline's past and present by wearing both original 1980s uniforms and contemporary uniforms.
The green 737 became a visible celebration of three decades of Germania history.
