Luxair

Luxair is one of those airlines you do not see at German airports every day – and that is exactly why you are happy when it shows up. The national airline of the Grand Duchy is small, but has one of the most varied fleets in Europe: propeller aircraft, three variants of the Boeing 737 from two generations and brand-new Embraer jets. On top of that comes a generational change with a new livery in 2026. This page shows you how to recognize Luxair, which types to expect and what to watch for when taking notes.

Luxair at a glance

Luxair is Luxembourg’s national airline. Its roots go back to 1948, when Luxembourg Airlines was founded. The company started under the name Luxair in 1961 and began flight operations in 1962 – the first route led to Paris with a Fokker F27.

Its home is Luxembourg Airport, which many people simply call “Findel” after the district. From there, according to its own figures, Luxair flies to more than 100 destinations in Europe and beyond. In 2025 it carried over 2.6 million passengers on almost 30,000 flights. The largest shareholder is the State of Luxembourg; in addition there are Luxembourg banks such as the state-owned Spuerkeess and BIL. Lufthansa was also a shareholder for many years but sold its stake in 2015.

Luxair is more than an airline. Under the company’s umbrella work the tour operator LuxairTours, ground handling at Luxembourg Airport and its own catering. That also explains why Luxair flies to many holiday destinations around the Mediterranean and in North Africa: the flights are closely tied to the package holidays. The cargo handling business LuxairCARGO has no longer been part of Luxair since May 2024.

Codes, callsign and registration

• IATA code LG: appears in the flight number, so on the departure board, on the ticket and in schedules.
• ICAO code LGL: appears in the air traffic control flight plan and on flight trackers.
• Callsign LUXAIR: this is how the crew checks in on the radio.
• Registration LX-: Luxembourg’s country prefix; Luxair aircraft mostly carry a combination like LX-L…

With Luxair it all fits together nicely: name, callsign and registration prefix all point to Luxembourg, and mix-ups are rare. If you want to get into the system in general, the guide to IATA and ICAO codes and the difference between callsign and flight number will help.

The fleet: propellers, 737s and new Embraers

For an airline of this size the fleet is surprisingly mixed. That comes from the job: Luxair serves short business routes with little demand just as much as full leisure flights to the Mediterranean. As of fall 2026, the fleet roughly breaks down like this:

Type	Seats (per Luxair or fleet data)	Role	Spotter note
De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400	76	Short routes, business traffic	Largest group, around ten aircraft, but being phased out gradually
Boeing 737-700	141	Leisure and scheduled flights	Oldest jet type in the fleet
Boeing 737-800	186	Leisure flights, busier routes	Longer fuselage, two overwing exits
Boeing 737-8	186	Leisure and longer routes	Two leased since 2023, the first two owned in August 2026
Embraer E195-E2	136	Scheduled routes in Europe	In scheduled service since January 2026, new livery
Embraer E190-E2	100	High-frequency business routes	On order, first delivery at the end of 2028 according to Embraer
Boeing 737-10	213	Full leisure and business routes	Four on firm order, not yet in service

The Dash 8-400 is the picture many people associate with Luxair. Luxair handed over its last Fokker 50s in 2005 and so had no turboprops for a while, but ordered the Q400 in 2006 and brought it back into the fleet from 2007. The previous livery also arrived with it in 2007. The Q400 now flies less: according to the annual report its use already declined in 2025, and the new Embraer jets are gradually taking over its tasks.

With the Boeing 737, Luxair looks back on a long tradition. The first Boeing, a 737-200, arrived in 1977; it was followed by 737-400s, 737-500s, 737-700s and 737-800s. In 2027, Luxair and Boeing celebrate 50 years of cooperation. The new generation is already here: two leased 737-8s have been flying since 2023, and at the end of August 2026 the first two 737-8s owned by Luxair joined them.

The big fleet renewal

Luxair is in the middle of the biggest fleet renewal in its history. According to Luxair, the program involves investments of more than a billion euros and runs until around the mid-2030s. The strategy is clear: two aircraft families with two sizes each, so that pilots, maintenance and planning stay as uniform as possible.

For you as a spotter this means: the next few years are an exciting window. New types and new registrations are added, while the Q400, 737-700 and 737-800 gradually disappear. If you want the old fleet complete in your logbook, better not wait too long – and document the departures just like the new arrivals. You can find tips on this in the article on the sighting logbook.

Embraer E195-E2: the new face

The Embraer E195-E2 is the type with which Luxair shows its future. It has two-plus-two seating with no middle seat and, according to Luxair, up to 29 percent lower fuel consumption than previous-generation aircraft. It is easy for spotters to recognize: long, slender wings without winglets, big engines under the wings and a slender fuselage that looks clearly longer than on the older E190.

The smaller sister E190-E2 looks almost the same on the outside, just shorter. When both fly together from the end of the decade, a look at the fuselage length and the number of windows ahead of the wing helps. When in doubt, the registration tells you which version you have in front of you.

How to tell the Luxair types apart

At first glance it is simple: propeller or jet. It gets interesting with the jets, because three 737 variants and the Embraer partly share the same routes.

You recognize the Dash 8-400 immediately: high-mounted wing, two large propellers, T-tail and a long main landing gear that retracts into the engine nacelles. If you want to photograph it sharp and with propeller motion, read the guide on shutter speed for propellers. And if you are unsure how to tell Airbus and Boeing apart in general, start with Recognizing aircraft types.

Livery and special liveries

Luxair has adjusted its look several times. The design known until now came in 2007 with the first Q400. With the first E195-E2, Luxair introduced a revised livery at the end of 2025: the tail shows the national colors red, white and light blue as a clear, modern interpretation of the flag, and the Luxair titles are larger and bolder. Since not all aircraft are repainted immediately, the old and new looks currently fly side by side – a nice subject for comparison pictures.

Luxair also likes to use special liveries with a Luxembourg connection:

• “den Atelier” (LX-LGN): A Q400 in the pop-art style of the French artist Loïc Lusnia, for the 30th anniversary of the den Atelier concert hall, unveiled in April 2025 and announced by Luxair for around 18 months.
• “Stand Speak Rise Up!” (LX-LGF): In service on a Q400 from November 2024, as a statement against violence against women; no longer in service.
• Earlier designs: such as a street-art motif by the artist SUMO, a rainbow livery for Pride, a Pink October motif and designs for Esch2022 and the airline’s 60th anniversary.

Special liveries are usually in service for a limited time only, and individual Q400s are leaving the fleet. So check beforehand whether the aircraft is still flying. The guide Finding special liveries explains how to track down special liveries deliberately.

Where to spot Luxair

Most Luxair flights are of course seen by spotters in Luxembourg itself. But the airline is also a regular guest in the German-speaking region. As of 2026, Luxair flies to Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Vienna, among others, and in summer additionally to Sylt and Heringsdorf on Usedom.

• Munich: From the Munich Airport visitors’ hill you have many short- and medium-haul flights in view, including Luxair. More on the airport: Munich Airport.
• Hamburg: The Affenfelsen at Hamburg Airport and the observation deck are good places for the Q400 and Embraer.
• Berlin: At BER, the observation deck offers a view of the apron; background on Berlin Brandenburg Airport.
• Vienna: The E195-E2 was inaugurated with a flight to Vienna. From the spotters’ hill at Vienna Airport you can photograph it next to Austrian Airlines.

Because Luxair usually offers only a few flights a day to a destination, timing matters. Take a look at a flight tracker beforehand to see which type is assigned to today’s rotation; the guide to flight tracking with ADS-B shows what to look for. And so that you stand on the right side of the airport, it is worth a look at the runway direction in use.

Luxair and Cargolux

Luxembourg is known to spotters above all for cargo: Cargolux, one of Europe’s big all-cargo airlines with a Boeing 747 fleet, is based at Findel. Luxair was involved in founding Cargolux and still holds a minority stake today. In everyday operations, though, they are two separate airlines with their own codes and their own appearance. So if you see a 747 with an LX registration, it is very likely Cargolux in front of you, not Luxair – Luxair does not fly widebody aircraft today.

Common mix-ups

• Taking LX for Luxair – the IATA code LX belongs to SWISS, Luxair has LG. LX- is only the registration prefix.
• Assigning every LX registration to Luxair – Cargolux and other Luxembourg operators also carry LX-.
• Mixing up the 737-8 and the 737-800 – the designations sound almost the same, but the 737-8 is the MAX generation with serrated engine cowlings.
• Logging an E195-E2 as an old E195 – the E2 has bigger engines, longer wings without winglets and, at Luxair, wears the new livery.
• Taking the old and new livery for two airlines – both designs belong to Luxair and fly side by side.
• Taking Luxair for an alliance member – despite Miles & More and Lufthansa codeshares, Luxair is in no alliance.

Conclusion

Luxair is small but a real win for spotters. Hardly any other European airline brings turboprops, three 737 variants and new Embraer jets together under one roof – and right now, during the fleet renewal, the picture changes from month to month. If you note registrations cleanly and capture both the old and the new livery, you document a piece of the Grand Duchy’s aviation history.