Interflug

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Interflug
IATA
ICAO
Callsign
IF IFL INTERFLUG
Founded18 September 1958;
65 years ago
 (1958-09-18)
Ceased operations30 April 1991;
32 years ago
 (1991-04-30)
Schönefeld, East Germany

Interflug

German Democratic Republic from 1963 to 1990. Based in East Berlin, it operated scheduled and chartered flights to European and intercontinental destinations out of its hub at Berlin Schönefeld Airport, focusing on Comecon countries. Interflug also had significant crop dusting operations. Following German reunification
, the company was liquidated.

History

Founding years

An Ilyushin Il-14 of Interflug at Schönefeld Airport in 1961, when the terminal building was under construction
Interflug office Haus des Reisens near Alexanderplatz in central East Berlin, 1971

Until 1945, Deutsche Luft Hansa had served as German flag carrier. Following the end of World War II and the subsequent allied occupation of Germany, all aircraft in the country were seized and the airline was liquidated. In 1954, a West German company acquired the Lufthansa trademark. In 1955, Deutsche Lufthansa was founded as a rival East German flag carrier. It soon became obvious that the East German airline would likely lose a lawsuit over the use of the Lufthansa branding. As a result, Interflug was set up on 18 September 1958 as a "back-up" company, initially intended to complement the East German aviation industry by operating chartered flights. In 1963, the East German Lufthansa was liquidated, officially due to poor profitability (though this step foreclosed the imminent stripping of the Lufthansa name). Its staff, aircraft fleet, and route network were transferred to Interflug, which henceforth served as the East German flag carrier.[1][2]

East German national airline

As a state-owned airline, Interflug and its approximately 8,000 employees were under the control of the

political officer who gave political lectures during flights. All aircraft in the fleet were bugged by the Stasi, including the lavatories and baggage compartments. [4]

The airline's route network and fleet of Soviet-built aircraft grew significantly in the 1960s. The

As a result of the 1970s energy crisis and increasing fuel prices, Interflug gradually dismantled its domestic route network. The last scheduled domestic flight, to transport prisoners from East Berlin to Erfurt, took place in April 1980.[7]

Late 1980s and German reunification

During the 1980s, Interflug's aging fleet caused increasing difficulties:

CoCom embargo. Following a deal between Boeing and LOT Polish Airlines for the purchase of six Boeing 767 aircraft, and in order to acknowledge the Perestroika movement, commercial airliners were exempted from the trade embargo in 1988. Malév Hungarian Airlines also bought Boeing aircraft in 1988, and later that year, Interflug placed an order for three Airbus A310 long-haul aircraft, worth DM 420 million.[9][10][11] The deal was secured with the support of Franz Josef Strauss
, then Minister-President of Bavaria, chairman of the Airbus supervisory board and responsible for West German loans to East Germany.

The first Airbus A310 was delivered to Interflug on 26 June 1989.[12] The East German crews for the new aircraft type were trained in West Germany; aircraft maintenance was also performed there. The A310 enabled non-stop flights to Cuba (flights had previously required a fuel stop at Gander International Airport in Canada).[3]

Following the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989 and the subsequent political upheaval in East Germany, several airlines expressed interest in buying parts of the highly unprofitable company to secure a share of the German air traffic market, especially in Berlin.[4] In early March 1990, Lufthansa signed a letter of intent to acquire 26 percent of Interflug,[13] but the offer was blocked by Germany's Federal Cartel Office.[14] Plans for a takeover by British Airways[15] did not materialize either (the UK airline instead founded Deutsche BA in 1992). On 1 July 1990, Interflug became a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).[16]

As a consequence of German reunification on 3 October 1990, Interflug came under the administration of the Treuhandanstalt, along with all other East German state property. As no buyers could be found, the liquidation of Interflug, which had 2,900 employees and 20 aircraft at the time, was announced on 7 February 1991.[14] The airline was then dismantled. The last commercial flight (on the Berlin-Vienna-Berlin route, using a Tu-134) took place on 30 April 1991.[17]

Legacy

Following the liquidation, a group of former Interflug employees acquired five of the company's Ilyushin Il-18 airliners and set up Il-18 Air Cargo, which soon became known as Berline, operating chartered cargo and leisure flights out of Schönefeld Airport. The company went bankrupt and ceased operations in 1994. [18]

The three Airbus A310 purchased by Interflug in 1988 were handed over by the Treuhandanstalt to the Federal Republic of Germany and became part of the German Air Force,[19] used for VIP transport of high-ranking politicians like the German president or chancellor.

Several former Interflug aircraft have been preserved in different places in Germany.[20]

Route network

Interflug Tupolev Tu-134 at Amsterdam Airport in 1977
Interflug Ilyushin Il-18 during chartered service at Gatwick Airport, United Kingdom, 1985
Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport
, 1988
Interflug Airbus A310 at Schönefeld Airport, 1990

As the national airline of East Germany from 1963 to 1991, Interflug operated scheduled passenger flights to the following destinations.[note 2]

City State Airport Commenced Ceased
Tirana Albania Tirana Airport 1963[21]
Algiers Algeria Maison Blanche Airport ca. 1966[22]
Vienna Austria Vienna International Airport ca. 1970[6] 1991[23]
Dhaka Bangladesh Tejgaon Airport ca. 1977[24]
Brussels Belgium Brussels Airport ca. 1982[25]
Burgas Bulgaria Burgas Airport ca. 1982[25]
Sofia Bulgaria Sofia Airport 1963[21] 1991[23]
Varna Bulgaria Varna Airport ca. 1977[24] 1991[23]
Beijing China Beijing Capital International Airport 1989[4][10] 1991[23]
Havana Cuba José Martí International Airport ca. 1975[7] 1991[23]
Larnaca Cyprus Larnaca International Airport ca. 1977[24] 1991[23]
Nicosia Cyprus Nicosia International Airport ca. 1966[22] 1974
Bratislava Czechoslovakia
Bratislava Airport
ca. 1977[24]
Poprad Czechoslovakia
Poprad-Tatry Airport
ca. 1977[24]
Prague Czechoslovakia
Ruzyně Airport
1963[21] 1991[23]
Copenhagen Denmark Copenhagen Airport ca. 1970[6] 1991[23]
Cairo Egypt Cairo International Airport ca. 1966[22] 1991[23]
Helsinki Finland Helsinki Airport ca. 1977[24] 1991[23]
Barth East Germany
Barth Airport
1963[26] 1977[7]
East Berlin East Germany Schönefeld Airport (hub) 1963[21] 1991[23]
Dresden East Germany Klotzsche Airport 1963[26]
1990[27]
ca. 1978[24]
1991
Erfurt East Germany
Erfurt Airport
1963[26] 1980[7]
Heringsdorf
East Germany Heringsdorf Airport 1963[26] 1979[7]
Leipzig East Germany Schkeuditz Airport 1963[21] 1991[23]
Cologne West Germany Cologne Bonn Airport 1990[27]
Düsseldorf West Germany Düsseldorf Airport 1989[3]
Hamburg West Germany Hamburg Airport 1990[27]
Athens Greece Ellinikon International Airport 1979[28] 1991[23]
Conakry Guinea
Conakry International Airport
ca. 1966[22]
Budapest Hungary Ferihegy Airport 1963[21]
Baghdad Iraq
Saddam International Airport
1963[21]
Tel Aviv Israel Ben Gurion Airport 1991[23]
Milan Italy Linate Airport ca. 1980[28] 1991[23]
Rome Italy
Fiumicino Airport
ca. 1980[28] 1991[23]
Beirut Lebanon Beirut International Airport 1963[21]
Tripoli Libya Tripoli International Airport ca. 1982[25] 1991[23]
Bamako Mali ca. 1966[22]
Valletta Malta Malta International Airport 1991[23]
Maputo Mozambique Maputo International Airport ca. 1975[7]
Amsterdam Netherlands Amsterdam Airport Schiphol ca. 1977[24] 1991[23]
Lagos Nigeria Murtala Muhammed International Airport ca. 1982[25] ca. 1991
Karachi Pakistan Jinnah International Airport ca. 1977[24]
Warsaw Poland Okęcie Airport 1963[21] 1991[23]
Bucharest Romania Băneasa Airport 1963[21] 1991[23]
Singapore Singapore
Singapore Changi Airport
1988[4][10]
Kyiv Soviet Union Boryspil International Airport ca. 1982[25]
Leningrad Soviet Union Pulkovo Airport ca. 1977[24] 1991[23]
Minsk Soviet Union Minsk National Airport ca. 1982[25]
Moscow Soviet Union Vnukovo Airport
Sheremetyevo Airport
1963[21] 1991[23]
Stockholm Sweden Stockholm Arlanda Airport ca. 1982[25] 1991[23]
Damascus Syria Damascus Airport ca. 1966[22]
Bangkok Thailand Don Muang Airport 1989[4] 1991[23]
Monastir Tunisia Monastir Airport 1991[23]
Tunis Tunisia Tunis–Carthage International Airport ca. 1982[25] 1991[23]
Istanbul Turkey
Istanbul Atatürk Airport
ca. 1977[24] 1991[23]
Dubai United Arab Emirates Dubai International Airport 1991[23]
Hanoi Vietnam Gia Lam Airport ca. 1975 1978
Hanoi Vietnam Noi Bai International Airport ca. 1978[7] 1991[23]
Belgrade Yugoslavia Belgrade Airport 1963[21] 1991[23]
Ljubljana Yugoslavia
Brnik Airport
ca. 1982[25]
Split Yugoslavia Split Airport ca. 1982[25]
Zagreb Yugoslavia Zagreb Airport ca. 1966[22] 1991[23]

Flights to Western countries

A map showing the border crossings between West and East Berlin. The checkpoint at Waltersdorfer Chaussee could only be used by West Germans travelling to and from nearby Schönefeld Airport (click to enlarge).

As an East German state-owned company, Interflug had the important role of securing foreign currency reserves, as the East German mark was considered a weak currency. For most of its existence, Interflug was not a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and could therefore significantly undercut the ticket prices of other European carriers.[28] From the 1970s, more effort was put into operating chartered flights to Mediterranean and Black Sea holiday resorts, many of which specifically catered to West Germans. (Travel restrictions applied to East Germans). Starting in that period, Interflug gained traffic rights to several destinations in Western Europe.[6] All these flights could be booked at travel agencies in West Berlin and West Germany, which had signed sale contracts with Interflug. To simplify the transfer of passengers from West Berlin to and from Schönefeld Airport, a dedicated border crossing checkpoint was inaugurated at Waltersdorfer Chaussee, and scheduled shuttle buses were operated from the Central Bus Terminal in the Westend locality.[28]

By the early 1980s, low Interflug ticket prices led to a severe decline of holiday flights at Berlin Tegel Airport in West Berlin. Pilots at Pan Am, which had a hub at Tegel, reportedly considered operating flights to Greece without pay to allow the airline to compete with Interflug.[28]

Interflug signed an agreement with Turkish Airlines giving the two airlines exclusive rights to offer dedicated flights for Turkish Gastarbeiter to and from West Germany and West Berlin.[4] In the 1980s, Interflug set up a partnership with KLM for a joint operation on the East Berlin-Amsterdam route. Of the six weekly flights, two were operated by KLM's Fokker F28 Fellowships, and four by Interflug's Tu-134s and Il-62s. As neither airline was allowed to cross the intra-German border,[note 3] the KLM flights were routed via Denmark, and Interflug used a southern routing over Czechoslovakia.[29]

During the annual Leipzig Trade Fair, at that time considered the most important meeting place for businesspeople and politicians from both sides of the Iron Curtain, Lufthansa and Interflug were granted special permits to operate flights between Leipzig and West Germany. In 1986, Lufthansa and Interflug applied for joint traffic rights for year-round scheduled intra-German flights over the Iron Curtain, which were initially rejected by the Western Allies (likely due to concerns that their unique market position for flights to and from Berlin might be weakened),[30] and only granted in August 1989. Interflug was then able to launch flights on the Leipzig-Düsseldorf route, while Lufthansa began serving the Frankfurt-Leipzig leg.[3] In 1990, Interflug added flights from Dresden to Hamburg and Cologne.[27]

Fleet

Interior view of a preserved Ilyushin Il-14 once operated by Interflug (2008).

Over the years, Interflug operated the following aircraft types on its commercial flights:[note 4][2][12][31]

Aircraft Introduced Retired
Aero Ae-45 1956 1961
Airbus A310 1989 1991
Antonov An-2 1957 1962
Antonov An-24 1966 1975
Dash 8-100[note 5]
1990 1991
Let 410UVP
1991
Ilyushin Il-14 1955 1967
Ilyushin Il-18 1961 1991
Ilyushin Il-62 1970 1991
Tupolev Tu-124
Tupolev Tu-134 1969 1991
Tupolev Tu-154M
1991

Accidents and incidents

Fatal

  • On 26 July 1964, an Interflug Antonov An-2 (registered DM-SKS) crashed near Magdeburg, killing the two occupants.[32]
  • The
    elevators caused by a fire in the cargo bay, which destroyed part of the rear fuselage. The aircrew subsequently tried to return to the airport, ultimately sending the airplane into an uncontrolled descent.[6][33]
  • On 1 September 1975, an Interflug Tupolev Tu-134 (registered DM-SCD) crashed during its approach into Leipzig/Halle Airport, killing 27 of the 34 people on board (three crew and four passengers survived). The aircraft had been travelling from Stuttgart, West Germany, to Leipzig (such flights were only operated during the Leipzig Trade Fair). It was later determined that the pilots had not properly checked the aircraft's altitude, leading to a descent below the glide slope and a collision with an antenna mast.[34]
  • On 26 March 1979, a cargo-configured Interflug Ilyushin Il-18 (registered DM-STL) overshot the runway at Luanda Airport in Angola following an engine failure during the take-off run. The aircraft broke up and erupted into flames, killing all ten people on board.[35][36]
  • On 17 June 1989, an Ilyushin Il-62 (registered DDR-SEW) operating
    tense atmosphere in the GDR initially led to suspicions of sabotage, delaying medical assistance to survivors.[37]

Non-fatal

Criminal incidents

In popular culture

  • The East German TV series Treffpunkt Flughafen was produced between 1985 and 1986. In eight episodes, it deals with the fictional crew of an Interflug Ilyushin Il-62, and their (often negative) experiences and adventures in foreign countries, which the average East German citizen could either not afford or was not allowed to travel to.[3][45]
  • The intentional landing of a former Interflug Ilyushin Il-62 on a 900-metre (3,000 ft) long grass runway in Gollenberg on 23 October 1989 received widespread media attention. The aircraft, donated by the airline, was commanded by Heinz-Dieter Kallbach [de] and has been preserved there ever since to commemorate aviation pioneer Otto Lilienthal.[46]

Notes

  1. ^ Although it was state-owned, Interflug was not organized as a VEB.
  2. ^ This list does not include chartered flights to holiday destinations or to airports in West Germany for the annual Leipzig Trade Fair, nor cargo operations.
  3. ^ The three air corridors crossing the border between East and West Germany could only be used by airlines of the Western Allies (the United States, United Kingdom, and France) and by LOT Polish Airlines.
  4. ^ The list does not include aircraft (including helicopter) types operated for agricultural and military purposes by the East German state, some of which were painted in Interflug colors.
  5. ^ A single aircraft of the type had been leased from Tyrolean Airways.

References

  1. .
  2. ^ .
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  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Rosen, Björn (21 September 2008). "50 Jahre Interflug: Linientreu". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  5. Flight
    : 426. 27 March 1959. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Stotterndes Geheul". Der Spiegel (in German): 58–59. 21 August 1972. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g "Idyllische Ruhe". Der Spiegel (in German): 123. 28 April 1980. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  8. ^ Romanian airlines TAROM and LAR
  9. ^ "Zwei Airbus-Jets für die DDR". Der Spiegel (in German): 130. 2 May 1988. Archived from the original on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  10. ^ a b c "Sehr, sehr hoher Preis". Der Spiegel (in German): 75–76. 25 June 1988. Archived from the original on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  11. ^ "Airbus Sale to East". The New York Times. 25 June 1988. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  12. ^ a b "Interflug fleet details". airfleets.net. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  13. ^ "Lufthansa Buying Stake in Interflug". The New York Times. 9 March 1990. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  14. ^ a b "East German Airline Closed". The New York Times. 9 February 1991. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  15. ^ Prokesch, Steven (18 December 1990). "Airline is Pursuing 2 Hubs on Continent". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
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  18. ^ "Küken nach Teheran". Der Spiegel: 101–103. 23 December 1991. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
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  20. ^ "Übersichtstabelle zum Verbleib aller Maschinen" (in German). if-interflug.de. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
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  35. ^ 1979 crash at the Aviation Safety Network
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  46. ^ "ARD report commemorating the landing of an Interflug Il-62 in a field". YouTube (in German). youtube.com. Retrieved 19 September 2013.

External links

Media related to Interflug at Wikimedia Commons