Deruluft (Deutsch-Russische Luftverkehrs A.G., or Deruluft) was a joint German-Soviet airline, established on 11 November 1921.[Allaz, Camille. History of Air Cargo and Airmail from the 18th Century.Christopher Foyle Publishing, 2005. p. 139. ] Deruluft opened its first permanent airlink between Moscow and Königsberg (via Kaunas and Smolensk) on 1 May 1922.
Business
Deruluft handled mainly post and freight. An overview of transported persons, mail and freight from 1922 to 1931:
[Karl-Heinz Eyermann, Wolfgang Sellenthin: Der Luftverkehr der UdSSR. Gesellschaft für DSF, 1967, S. 6]
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| 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
Dornier Komet. Early 1931 the Tupolev ANT-9 was added.
Accidents and incidents
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In October 1924, LVG C.VI RR-14 crashed in Russia.
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In December 1926, Grulich V.1 D-902 crashed in Russia.
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In June 1927, Fokker F.III RR-7 crashed in Russia.
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On May 16, 1928, Fokker F.III D-200 crashed shortly after takeoff from Tempelhof Airport due to engine failure; the pilot survived. THe aircraft was operating a cargo flight to Cologne.
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On 15 October 1929, Junkers F.13 URSS-308 Koenigsadler crashed in Estonia and broke in two; no casualties.
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In 1933, Dornier Merkur CCCP-D306 crashed in Russia.
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On 22 October 1934, Tupolev ANT-9 D-2831 struck trees and crashed while on approach to Moscow Airport in poor weather; all three on board survived.
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On 31 January 1935, Junkers Ju 52/3mge D-AREN struck a hillside in poor weather near Stettin, Germany (now Szczecin, Poland) due to icing, killing all 11 on board.
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On 7 March 1935, Rohrbach Roland D-AJYP Schönberg crashed at Schievelbein, Germany (now Świdwin, Poland) due to structural failure; all three on board survived.
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On 16 May 1936, Junkers J.13FLE D-OKES crashed in Russia.
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On 6 November 1936, Tupolev ANT-9 URSS-D311 Yastreb struck trees and crashed upside-down near Nemirovo, Volokolamsky District ( southwest of Volokolamsk) after several navaids failed, killing all nine on board. The aircraft was operating the Velikiye Luki–Moscow leg of a Königsberg (now Kaliningrad)–Moscow passenger service.
Bibliography
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Davies, R.E.G. Aeroflot: An Illustrated History of the World's Largest Airline, 1992.
External links
