Deruluft
FoundedNovember 24, 1921 (1921-11-24)
Commenced operationsMay 1, 1922 (1922-05-01)
Ceased operationsMarch 31, 1937 (1937-03-31)
A Deruluft Dornier Merkur at the opening of Stettin Airstrip 1927. Second from left, Stockholm Municipal commissioner Yngve Larsson.

Deruluft (Deutsch-Russische Luftverkehrs A.G., or Deruluft) was a joint German-Soviet airline, established on 11 November 1921.[1] Deruluft opened its first permanent airlink between Moscow and Königsberg (via Kaunas and Smolensk) on 1 May 1922.[1] It started a new route between Berlin and Leningrad (via Tallinn) on 6 June 1928, and maintained both routes until 31 March 1936. Deruluft was a successful business, but terminated on 31 March 1937 due to the changed political situation.

Business

Deruluft handled mainly post and freight. An overview of transported persons, mail and freight from 1922 to 1931:[2]

Year Flown distance Persons Freight Mail
1922 174.768 km 338 17,915 t 1.047 kg
1923 215.480 km 382 23,487 t 1.589 kg
1924 352.786 km 552 34,519 t 2.382 kg
1925 492.237 km 1.463 54,059 t 5.410 kg
1926 514.185 km 1.192 25,892 t 10.733 kg
1927 630.542 km 1.809 49,694 t 25.574 kg
1928 790.465 km 2.510 69,886 t 27.992 kg
1929 839.655 km 2.692 75,238 t 16.711 kg
1930 950.512 km 2.947 62,351 t 27.244 kg
1931 945.317 km 3.660 87,690 t 29.060 kg

Fleet

Most of the aircraft used were German, and so was its organization until the 1930s. Its first aircraft were Dutch-built Fokker F.III's. Later German Junkers F13's were added to the fleet. At first, Deruluft carried only mail and officials, but on 27 August 1922 the service was opened to the public. From 1929 onwards the early Fokker F.III's were replaced by Dornier Merkurs. Early 1931 the Tupolev ANT-9 was added.

Accidents and incidents

  • On 31 January 1935, a Junkers Ju 52/3mge (D-AREN) crashed into a hill in rain and fog near Stettin, Germany (now Szczecin, Poland) en route to Moscow from Berlin, killing all 11 on board.[3]
  • On 7 March 1935, a Rohrbach Ro VIII Roland II (D-AJYP, Schönberg) crashed at Schievelbein, Germany (now Świdwin, Poland) due to structural failure, killing both pilots.[4][5]
  • On 6 November 1936, a Tupolev ANT-9 (URSS-D311, Yastreb) struck trees and crashed upside-down near Nemirovo, Volokolamsky District (27 km (17 mi) southwest of Volokolamsk) after several navaids failed, killing all nine on board. The aircraft was operating the Velikiye Luki–Moscow leg of a Königsburg (now Kaliningrad)–Moscow passenger service.[6][7][8]

References

  1. 1 2 Allaz, Camille. History of Air Cargo and Airmail from the 18th Century.Christopher Foyle Publishing, 2005. p. 139. ISBN 9780954889609
  2. ↑ Karl-Heinz Eyermann, Wolfgang Sellenthin: Der Luftverkehr der UdSSR. Gesellschaft für DSF, 1967, S. 6
  3. ↑ Accident description for D-AREN at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 15 December 2012.
  4. ↑ "D-AJYP accident description". Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  5. ↑ "Accident Rohrbach Ro VIII D-AJYP". Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  6. ↑ "CCCP-D311 accident description". Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  7. ↑ "Tupolev production list" (PDF). oldwings.nl. Soviet Transports. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-03-30. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  8. ↑ "Катастрофа АНТ-9 а/к Дерулюфт в районе Волоколамска" [Accident of Deruluft ANT-9 in Volokolamsky District]. airdisaster.ru (in Russian).

Bibliography

  • Cooksley, Peter (September–October 1996). "Celestial Coaches: Dornier's Record Breaking Komet and Merkur". Air Enthusiast (65): 20–24. ISSN 0143-5450.
  • Davies, R.E.G. Aeroflot: An Illustrated History of the World's Largest Airline, 1992.
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