Tempelhof Airways
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Airline |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Founder | Knut Kramer |
| Defunct | 1990 |
| Headquarters | Fort Lauderdale , United States |
Area served | West Berlin, Germany |
| Products | Regional airline services, air taxi, medevac flights |
Tempelhof Airways USA was a regional airline based in Fort Lauderdale, United States, operating flights from Berlin Tempelhof Airport located in West Berlin under the control of Western Allied powers. The airline offered domestic German routes from 1981 until the reunification of Germany in 1990.
History
Established in 1981 by Knut Kramer, a Berliner living between Florida and Berlin, Tempelhof Airways USA initiated Air Taxi services in April 1982 utilizing a Piper Navajo aircraft departing from Tempelhof Airport. Due to West Berlin’s unique political status, only carriers from the US, France, and Great Britain were authorized to operate there.
The airline launched scheduled services in January 1985 on the Berlin to Paderborn route with Nord 262 planes, focusing largely on serving the extensive offices of Nixdorf Computer. Its route network later grew to include destinations such as Dortmund, Luxembourg, Augsburg, and Braunschweig. In 1988, Tempelhof Airways introduced the Saab 340 aircraft for flights between Berlin and Hamburg. Additionally, the company provided medical evacuation and ambulance flights using Learjets (initially Learjet 25 models, followed by Learjet 35) on behalf of DeutscheRettungsflugwacht (German Air Rescue) based in Stuttgart, transporting patients and organs.
Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, German pilots gained authorization to operate flights to and from Berlin. Subsequently, operations were merged into the parent company structure, retaining several former TAUSA medivac pilots.
After reunification, Tempelhof Airways faced strong competition from larger German airlines and ultimately discontinued all flight operations by October 1990.
Fleet
See also
References
- Citations
- Bibliography