Interflug: The Forgotten Flag Carrier of East Germany

Interflug aircraft in Berlin. Photo (c) Aero Icarus

Before German reunification, the skies over the German Democratic Republic (GDR) were dominated by Interflug, a state-run airline that served as East Germany’s answer to Lufthansa.

With a fleet of Soviet-built airliners, sharply uniformed crews, and routes stretching from Berlin to Havana, Interflug was both a symbol of Cold War aviation and a crucial link between East Germany and the wider socialist world. But after decades in the air, this unique airline disappeared almost overnight following the fall of the Berlin Wall.

From Lufthansa to Interflug

Interflug’s roots date back to 1955, when East Germany established a national carrier under the familiar name Deutsche Lufthansa. However, legal disputes with West Germany’s Lufthansa over the name led to the creation of a new airline in 1958, officially rebranded as Interflug in 1963.

The airline was headquartered at Berlin-Schönefeld Airport, which became its main base of operations. Schönefeld, situated in the Soviet-controlled sector of Berlin, remained the key East German international airport throughout the Cold War.

A State-Owned Socialist Airline

As a state-owned company, Interflug was operated under the strict oversight of the East German government and the Stasi (state security service). It served both civilian and military purposes, with many of its pilots also trained for potential military missions.

While Interflug operated scheduled services for ordinary East German citizens, it also played a diplomatic role, linking the GDR with socialist allies and neutral countries. Destinations included Moscow, Prague, Havana, Beirut, Luanda, and even Vietnam. In the later years, a limited number of Western destinations were added, including Vienna, Brussels, and Copenhagen.

Flights were relatively affordable for GDR citizens, though outbound international travel remained tightly controlled by the state.

A Fleet of Soviet Iron

RuthAS, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Unlike its Western counterparts, Interflug operated almost exclusively Soviet-built aircraft, sourced from East Bloc manufacturers. The airline’s fleet was distinctive and included some of the most iconic designs of the Cold War era:

• Ilyushin Il-14 – The early backbone of the fleet in the 1950s and 60s.
• Tupolev Tu-134 – A sleek twinjet used on short- and medium-haul routes across Europe.
• Tupolev Tu-154 – Interflug’s most prominent aircraft in the 1970s and 80s, offering medium- and long-haul service with capacity for over 150 passengers.
• Ilyushin Il-62 – The airline’s flagship for intercontinental flights, including long routes to Cuba and the Middle East.
• Antonov An-24 and An-26 – Used for domestic routes and government transport duties.
• Airbus A310-300 – In a remarkable turn, Interflug ordered three Western-built aircraft in the late 1980s in an effort to modernise. These widebodies became the only non-Soviet aircraft in the fleet.

The acquisition of Airbus A310s in 1989 was seen as a dramatic shift in East-West cooperation—but they arrived just as history was about to take a different course.

The Fall of the Wall—and the Airline

Ralf Manteufel (GFDL 1.2 <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html> or GFDL 1.2 <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html>), via Wikimedia Commons

The collapse of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 and the subsequent reunification of Germany in 1990 rapidly reshaped the political and economic landscape. Suddenly, Interflug found itself in direct competition with a rejuvenated West German Lufthansa, now returning to the eastern market after decades of division.

Efforts were made to privatise Interflug or sell it to Western investors (including talks with Lufthansa and British Airways), but none came to fruition. The airline’s reliance on aging Soviet aircraft and a socialist-era operational structure made it difficult to compete in a newly capitalist environment.

On 30 April 1991, Interflug ceased all operations. Its aircraft were either scrapped, returned to the Soviet Union, or sold off. The Airbus A310s were absorbed into the Luftwaffe (German Air Force), where they served for many years as government and military transports.

Interflug Survivors

Ilyushin Il-62 DDR-SEG. Photo (c) Manolo Gómez

A surprisingly large number of former Interflug aircraft remain extant, particularly in Germany. You can see the following survivors:

• LZ-ANL (ex DM-SBA), Antonov An-24, preserved at Bourgas Airport, Bulgaria.
• DM-SAB, Ilyushin Il-14, preserved at Gaststatte am Flugzeug restaurant, Caemmerswalde, Germany.
• DM-SAF, Ilyushin Il-14, preserved Hugo Junkers Technikmuseum, Dessau, Germany.
• DM-SAL, Ilyushin Il-14, preserved Elbe Flugzeugwerke, Dresden Airport, Germany.
• DM-ZZB/DM-SAZ, Ilyushin Il-14, preserved Reichenbach (nr Zwickau), Germany.
• DDR-STA, Ilyushin Il-18, preserved Leipzig/Halle airport, Germany.
• DDR-STB, Ilyushin Il-18, preserved Da Capo event hall, Leipzig, Germany.
• DDR-STD, Ilyushin Il-18, preserved as holiday accommodation in Apeldoorn, Netherlands.
• DDR-STE, Ilyushin Il-18, preserved Hans-Grade-Museum, Borkheide, Germany.
• DDR-STG, Ilyushin Il-18, preserved Erfurt airport, Germany.
• DDR-STH, Ilyushin Il-18, preserved Flugausstellung museum, Hermeskeil, Germany.
• DDR-SEC, Ilyushin Il-62, preserved Luftfahrt- und Technikmuseum, Merseburg, Germany.
• DDR-SEF, Ilyushin Il-62, preserved as restaurant, Leipzig, Germany.
• DDR-SEG, Ilyushin Il-62, preserved Otto-Lilienthal-Museum, Stolln, Germany.
• DDR-SCB, Tupolev Tu-134, preserved as restaurant, Magdeburg airport, Germany.
• DDR-SCH, Tupolev Tu-134, preserved Lufthfahrtmuseum, Finow, Germany.
• DDR-SCK, Tupoleve Tu-134, preserved Flugausstellung museum, Hermeskeil, Germany.
• DDR-SCL, Tupolev Tu-134, preserved Hydro Systems headquarters, Biberach, Germany.
• DDR-SCZ, Tupolev Tu-134, preserved Luftfahrt- und Technikmuseum, Merseburg, Germany.

Credit to Interflug – East Germany’s Airline, by Sebastian Schmitz, an execellent book on the history of the airline.

Remembering Interflug

Photo (c) David Thompson

While it may not enjoy the nostalgic recognition of airlines like Pan Am or BOAC, Interflug remains a fascinating footnote in aviation history—a rare example of a Cold War airline operating in a parallel world, with its own rules, routes, and aircraft. For spotters and historians, it offered a glimpse into a distinctively Eastern take on commercial aviation.

Did you ever photograph or fly on Interflug’s Soviet jets—or maybe even one of its rare A310s? Share your memories in the comments below!

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