Lufthansa Aviation Training will begin training about 50 future Luftwaffe pilots at its Rostock-Laage site from February 2027, taking on the initial flight-training phase for the German air force. The programme covers theory, meteorology, air law, mission planning and early visual-flight instruction before the cadets move on to the next stages of pilot training. The base is located near Tactical Air Force Wing 73 “Steinhoff”, giving the Luftwaffe a setting closely linked to the Eurofighter training environment.
The contract expands Lufthansa’s defence-related activity at a time when its training arm is taking on more work for military customers. Lufthansa Aviation Training already instructs Bundeswehr drone pilots, Navy P-8A Poseidon crews and helicopter crews, broadening a business that sits alongside its civilian pilot schools. Chief executive Matthias Spohr welcomed the Luftwaffe’s confidence in the company’s training expertise. The deal also points to a wider use of commercial aviation training capacity in Germany’s military pilot pipeline.