Interflug
| Company type | Government-owned enterprise |
|---|---|
| Industry | Airline |
| Founded | 18 September 1958 |
| Defunct | 7 February 1991 |
| Fate | Liquidated following German reunification |
| Headquarters | East Berlin , East Germany |
Area served | Europe, Comecon countries, global destinations |
Key people | Klaus Henkes (General Director from 1978) |
| Products | Scheduled and charter passenger flights, aerial agricultural spraying |
Number of employees | 8,000 (peak), ~2,900 (1991) |
Interflug GmbH (; ) served as the flag carrier of East Germany between 1963 and 1991. Based in East Berlin, the airline operated both scheduled and charter services across European and global destinations from its main base at Berlin Schönefeld Airport, primarily targeting Comecon countries. Additionally, Interflug was heavily involved in aerial agricultural spraying activities. The company was dissolved following German reunification.
Early development
Prior to 1945, Deutsche Luft Hansa functioned as Germany’s national airline. After World War II, all German aircraft were confiscated and the airline was dismantled. In 1954, a West German enterprise registered the Lufthansa brand. The following year, East Germany established its own Deutsche Lufthansa to compete but encountered legal obstacles concerning the trademark. To circumvent losing the rights to the name, Interflug was created on 18 September 1958 as a secondary entity specializing in charter flights to support East German aviation.
By 1963, the East German Deutsche Lufthansa was officially shut down—citing financial losses—with its personnel, fleet, and routes transferred to Interflug, which then assumed the role of East Germany’s official national airline.
State airline of East Germany
As a government-owned enterprise, Interflug employed roughly 8,000 staff and was overseen by the National Defense Council, which managed East Germany’s military forces. A majority of Interflug's pilots held positions as reserve officers in the National People's Army and were members of the Socialist Unity Party. Aircraft were subject to military requisition if necessary. From 1978 onwards, General Director Klaus Henkes—a former General in the East German Air Force—led the company. Prospective flight attendants underwent thorough screening by the Stasi to ensure political reliability, minimizing risks of espionage or defection. Employees who maintained contact with personnel from non-socialist airlines faced potential suspension, while each flight crew included a political officer responsible for delivering ideological briefings during flights.[1]
Throughout the 1960s, Interflug expanded its network and modernized its fleet with Soviet-made aircraft. The Ilyushin Il-18 turboprop became the primary short-haul plane. Although intended to be the main operator of the East German jetliner Baade 152, development ceased after only a prototype was built in 1961. The airline introduced jet service with the acquisition of the Tupolev Tu-134 in 1969 for European routes. The long-range Il-62 entered service in 1971—the same year Interflug transported one million passengers. At its height, destinations extended to cities such as Havana, Singapore, and Conakry, Guinea.[2]
Due to rising fuel prices after the 1970s energy crisis, Interflug progressively discontinued domestic flights. The last scheduled internal service—a prisoner transfer from East Berlin to Erfurt—occurred in April 1980.[3]
Late 1980s and German reunification
Throughout the 1980s, Interflug confronted difficulties stemming from its outdated aircraft fleet: suboptimal fuel consumption and increasingly rigorous noise control measures resulted in higher landing fees and restrictions at certain airports. Due to the CoCom embargo, Soviet bloc nations generally lacked access to Western-made airliners from producers such as Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, and Airbus, with exceptions including Romanian carriers TAROM and LAR. In 1988, the embargo was lifted for commercial aircraft, facilitating transactions like Boeing’s sale of six Boeing 767 jets to LOT Polish Airlines and Malév Hungarian Airlines acquiring Boeing models. That same year, Interflug placed an order for three Airbus A310 wide-body aircraft valued at DM 420 million, backed by Franz Josef Strauss, Airbus’s supervisory board chairman and a pivotal figure in West German financial assistance to East Germany.
The inaugural Airbus A310 arrived on 26 June 1989. Training for East German flight crews took place in West Germany, where maintenance operations were also conducted. The introduction of the A310 allowed direct flights to Cuba, eliminating prior refueling stops at Gander International Airport.
Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, various airlines expressed interest in acquiring segments of Interflug to establish a presence in the German aviation market, particularly focusing on Berlin. In March 1990, Lufthansa signed a letter of intent to purchase a 26 percent share; however, this was blocked by Germany’s Federal Cartel Office. A proposed acquisition by British Airways was also unsuccessful; instead, British Airways launched Deutsche BA in 1992. On 1 July 1990, Interflug became a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
After the German reunification on 3 October 1990, Interflug came under the administration of the Treuhandanstalt, alongside other East German state-owned enterprises. With no viable buyers emerging, liquidation was declared on 7 February 1991. At that point, Interflug employed approximately 2,900 personnel and operated a fleet of 20 aircraft. The airline was systematically dismantled, concluding operations with its final commercial flight—a Tu-134 on the Berlin-Vienna route—on 30 April 1991.
Legacy
Post-liquidation, former Interflug staff acquired five Ilyushin Il-18 planes and established Il-18 Air Cargo, later renamed Berline, which operated charter cargo and leisure flights out of Schönefeld Airport. This enterprise ceased operations due to bankruptcy in 1994.
The trio of Airbus A310 aircraft purchased by Interflug in 1988 were transferred by the Treuhandanstalt to the Federal Republic of Germany and incorporated into the German Air Force, serving VIP transport duties for high-ranking officials such as the President of Germany and Chancellor of Germany.
Several former Interflug airplanes have been preserved at various sites throughout Germany.
Route network
As East Germany’s flag carrier from 1963 until 1991, Interflug maintained scheduled passenger services to numerous international destinations; this excludes charter and cargo operations or flights related to West Germany’s Leipzig Trade Fair.
Flights to Western destinations
Interflug, as the national airline of East Germany, was instrumental in generating much-needed foreign currency due to the limited value of the East German mark. For a significant portion of its existence, Interflug operated outside the International Air Transport Association (IATA), enabling it to offer fares lower than those of other European airlines. Beginning in the 1970s, the airline expanded its charter services to resorts along the Mediterranean and Black Sea coasts, attracting a considerable number of West German tourists who faced travel restrictions in East Germany. Interflug secured traffic rights to multiple Western European cities, with tickets available through travel agencies in both West Berlin and West Germany. To facilitate passenger movement from West Berlin to Schönefeld Airport, a special border crossing was created at Waltersdorfer Chaussee, complemented by shuttle bus connections from West Berlin's Central Bus Terminal.
By the early 1980s, Interflug's competitive pricing led to a marked reduction in holiday travelers at Berlin Tegel Airport, adversely affecting rival carriers such as Pan Am; reports suggest that Pan Am pilots contemplated flying unpaid trips to Greece to remain competitive. Additionally, Interflug collaborated with Turkish Airlines to provide exclusive flights catering to Turkish Gastarbeiter traveling between West Germany and West Berlin. During the 1980s, it also partnered with KLM on the East Berlin-Amsterdam route, jointly operating six weekly flights—two by KLM's Fokker F28 aircraft and four by Interflug's Tu-134 and Il-62 jets. Due to restrictions preventing airlines from crossing the intra-German border directly, KLM routed flights through Denmark while Interflug used Czechoslovakian airspace.
At the yearly Leipzig Trade Fair, an important forum for cross-Iron Curtain business and political exchanges, both Lufthansa and Interflug received special flight permits between Leipzig and West Germany. In 1986, these airlines applied for permanent year-round intra-German traffic rights across the Iron Curtain; although initially denied by Western Allies—likely to safeguard their market interests—the rights were finally granted in August 1989. Following this, Interflug commenced Leipzig-Düsseldorf services while Lufthansa operated Frankfurt-Leipzig flights. In 1990, Interflug extended its network with new routes linking Dresden to Hamburg and Cologne.
Fleet
The commercial aircraft operated by Interflug comprised the following models:
| 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 1] | 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 |
Fatal
- On 26 July 1964, an Interflug-operated Antonov An-2 (DM-SKS) crashed in the vicinity of Magdeburg, resulting in the deaths of both people on board.
- The deadliest aviation disaster in Germany, and the second most fatal worldwide at that time, occurred on 14 August 1972 involving Interflug Flight 450. An Ilyushin Il-62 (DM-SEA) caught fire shortly after departing Berlin en route to Burgas due to a malfunction in the cargo hold. Despite the crew’s attempt at an emergency landing, the aircraft crashed near Schönefeld Airport, causing 156 fatalities.
- On 1 September 1975, an Interflug Tupolev Tu-134 (DM-SCD) crashed during its approach to Leipzig/Halle Airport, claiming 27 lives out of the 34 occupants. The flight had originated from Stuttgart, heading to the Leipzig Trade Fair. The accident was attributed to pilot misjudgment concerning altitude, leading to a collision with an antenna tower.
- A cargo-configured Ilyushin Il-18 (DM-STL) overran the runway at Luanda Airport on 26 March 1979 after experiencing engine failure during takeoff; all ten individuals aboard perished.
- On 17 June 1989, an Ilyushin Il-62 (DDR-SEW) operating Interflug Flight 102 to Moscow went off the runway at Schönefeld Airport and caught fire, resulting in 22 fatalities including one person on the ground. The cause was linked to maintenance faults causing rudder failure and engine shutdown during reverse thrust application. Initial suspicions of sabotage delayed emergency response amid politically charged circumstances.
Non-fatal
- On 7 December 1963, an Interflug Ilyushin Il-14 (DM-SBL) performed a belly landing near Königsbrück following complete electrical system failure; all 33 passengers and crew survived without injury.
- On 22 November 1977, an Interflug Tu-134 (DM-SCM) arriving from Moscow was rendered irreparable after a landing accident at Schönefeld Airport. The aircraft, carrying 74 passengers, crashed due to a high sink rate caused by improper autopilot management.
- During a Berlin-Moscow flight on 11 February 1991, an Interflug Airbus A310 (D-AOAC) experienced multiple stalls while executing a go-around at Sheremetyevo Airport. Conflicting inputs from pilots and flight computer led to four stalls, one nearly pitching the plane vertically. The crew managed recovery and completed a safe landing. This event underscored dangers associated with overriding automated safety systems in advanced aircraft.
Criminal incidents
- On 10 March 1970, a hijacking attempt took place aboard an Interflug Antonov An-24 traveling from East Berlin to Leipzig. Armed passengers Eckhard and Christel Wehage demanded diversion to Hanover in West Germany but ultimately agreed to land at Tempelhof Airport due to fuel limitations. Upon return to Schönefeld Airport, the Wehages took their own lives.
- Another unsuccessful hijacking attempt occurred on 30 January 1980 during an Interflug flight between Erfurt and East Berlin.
- On 20 December 1980, Interflug Flight 302 from East Berlin to Budapest was threatened by a bomb warning conveyed through a note claiming detonation if the aircraft descended below an altitude of 600 meters. The crew diverted safely to Poprad Airport, situated at an elevation of 718 meters. A suspicious backpack was discovered onboard; however, no further information regarding its contents was disclosed.
In popular culture
- The East German television series Treffpunkt Flughafen (1985–1986) portrays a fictional crew operating an Interflug Ilyushin Il-62 and their international experiences, focusing on destinations generally inaccessible to East German citizens during that era.
- The intentional touchdown of a former Interflug Ilyushin Il-62 on a grass airstrip in Gollenberg on 23 October 1989 attracted significant media attention. Donated by the airline and flown by , this aircraft remains preserved as a tribute to aviation pioneer Otto Lilienthal.
InterCondor
- After the reunification of Germany, Interflug intended to create a partnership with Condor Flugdienst under the name InterCondor, which would have operated solely with a fleet of Boeing 757 aircraft. However, this initiative was discontinued following Interflug's liquidation in 1990.
External links
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