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I want to find out what engine a specific airplane had in the past.
For example for the Airbus A320. The sources which I've found tell me there were different engines. CFM56-5A, CFM56-5B, IAE V2500 etc. Let's say I flew in 1999 with Lufthansa. What engine did I most likely fly with?

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    $\begingroup$ Unless you have the tail number or you can determine that Lufthansa only flew a certain type in 1999 (on a certain route maybe) it will be hard to say. As you noted, the A320 has multiple engine types, and each type has different versions. $\endgroup$
    – fooot
    Jan 26, 2018 at 21:55
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    $\begingroup$ @Peter. AirFleets.net is another database that has very similar info to the answer below: airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-a320-69.htm $\endgroup$
    – Penguin
    Jan 27, 2018 at 2:07

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Airlines are not free to use any engine that they can shoehorn into an airframe. Engine choices are constrained by national regulatory authorities that grant approvals to use specific engine variants in given airframes.

A Google search will usually identify which engine models are used in a specific airplane model. For an authoritative answer though you would have to consult official records e.g. civil aviation records for a specific aircraft or the national regulatory authority or airline with respect to a specific aircraft model.

So for certainty you should consult the German civil aviation authority, the Luftfahrt Bundesamt or Lufthansa. For practical purposes though a cursory Google search combined with good judgement suggests that your 1999 Lufthansa flight would have certainly employed a pair of CFM56 engines.

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