Lufthansa looks back on an eventful history which has seen spectacular highlights; but it has not always been smooth sailing. The challenges in aviation traffic were always great – in earlier times economic crises and political conflicts influenced the development of Lufthansa, today there are deep market changes in world air traffic. Lufthansa has always been prepared to actively shape the market and has continually modernized itself. This has put it in a leading position in the international aviation business.