Regular passenger aviation (105 years)

On February 5th, 105 years have passed since the beginning of regular passenger aviation in Europe. On that day in 1919, the German airline Deutsche Luft-Reederei GmbH (DLR) transported one passenger and mail from Berlin to Weimar. Initially, the airline primarily transported mail on this route, but by February 28th, they had already carried 19 passengers. From March 1st, two more airlines started operating: Berlin-Hamburg and Berlin-Warnemünde.

DLR was founded in December 1917 for military aviation purposes. After the end of World War I, it was decided to repurpose their demilitarized single-engine aircraft AEG J.II for civilian airline operations. Approximately thirty of these planes were used in their civilian configuration. Passengers had to sit in an open cabin, so before boarding, they wore helmets, goggles, flight suits, and fur clothing in cold weather.

DLR introduced the placement of its logo on the aircraft, a tradition that is now followed by airlines worldwide. By the summer of 1919, DLR had acquired nine additional disarmed heavy bombers: three of the world's largest at that time, five-engine R.XIVa, and six twin-engine G.III and G.VI. After signing a corresponding agreement with the government of the Ukrainian People's Republic, these aircraft were used for air connections between Germany and Ukraine. Mainly, flights were operated from Berlin, Vienna, Breslau (now Wroclaw, Poland) to Kamianets-Podilskyi, the then temporary capital of the UNR. The most important aspect was the transport of printed Ukrainian currency from Germany. They also transported mail, other cargo, and passengers. (For more details, you can find information in the article on our website titled "German Bombers in Ukrainian Service. The Year 1919").