InselHansa GMBT [IS/LH, IHM, HANSEL]

InselHansa was a regional airline based in Germany that operated under the Team Lufthansa brand between 1999 and 2004. A wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa, InselHansa served regional destinations across Central Europe with a primary focus on short-haul business and commuter routes. The airline was headquartered in Mannheim and operated a small fleet of two Dornier 328JET aircraft.

History
InselHansa was established in 1999 as part of Lufthansa’s strategy to strengthen its regional network through the Team Lufthansa franchise program. The initiative aimed to improve connectivity to underserved regional airports across Germany and neighboring countries while maintaining Lufthansa’s standards of service and operational consistency.

The airline’s name, "InselHansa" (literally “Island Hansa”), reflected both its regional niche focus and alignment with Lufthansa's heritage and brand identity. It was marketed as a seamless extension of Lufthansa’s mainline network.

Due to delays in securing operational agreements at Mannheim City Airport, InselHansa initially launched operations out of nearby Saarbruecken in early 1999. This temporary arrangement allowed the airline to begin revenue service and establish its presence within the Team Lufthansa network while negotiations with Mannheim authorities were finalized. From Saarbruecken, InselHansa operated limited weekday flights to Hamburg, primarily targeting government and business travelers in southern Germany. Once the Mannheim base was confirmed later that year, operations were gradually transferred south, and Saarbruecken service was discontinued by early 2000.

In addition to its main base in Mannheim, InselHansa established a secondary base at Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport (FKB) in late 1999. The decision to expand to Karlsruhe was part of Lufthansa's broader strategy to improve regional connectivity across southwestern Germany, targeting underserved markets outside of Frankfurt's high-traffic hub.

From Karlsruhe, InselHansa operated scheduled weekday services to Berlin-Tegel, Hamburg, and Vienna, primarily catering to business and governmental passengers in the Baden region. The Dornier 328JET’s short-field performance made it well-suited for the relatively new and developing infrastructure at FKB, which had only recently opened to commercial traffic.

Operations
Operating out of its hub at Mannheim City Airport, InselHansa served a variety of regional destinations in Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Closure
In 2004, InselHansa ceased operations following Lufthansa’s restructuring of its regional operations. The Team Lufthansa program was gradually phased out and consolidated under the new Lufthansa Regional brand. InselHansa’s routes and assets were either integrated into other Lufthansa affiliates or discontinued.

Legacy
Although short-lived, InselHansa played a strategic role in testing the viability of regional jet services from secondary airports in Germany. Its use of the Dornier 328JET contributed to Lufthansa’s evaluation of regional jet performance on low-density routes during the early 2000s.