The story behind this amazing image: Pan Am 727s at Berlin Tempelhof

21/4/2022

PAN AM'S INTERNAL GERMAN SERVICES (IGS)

From 1950 until 1990 Pan Am operated a comprehensive network of high-frequency, short-haul scheduled services between West Germany and West Berlin called the German Internal Service (IGS).

This had come about as a result of an agreement among the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and the Soviet Union at the end of World War II which prohibited Germany from having its own airlines and restricted the provision of commercial air services to and from Berlin to air transport providers headquartered in these four countries.

Initially, flights were operated with Douglas DC-4s, then with DC-6Bs (from 1960) and Boeing 727s (from 1966).

Pan Am's European routes, including the IGS in 1967. Credit: The AirportHistory.org Collection

Pan Am operated a Berlin crew base of mainly German flight attendants and American pilots to staff its IGS flights. The airline's West Berlin operation consistently accounted for more than half of the city's entire commercial air traffic during that period.

In the early years, the flights were operated out of Berlin's Tempelhof Airport. In September 1975, all Pan Am flights were moved to the upgraded Tegel Airport.

With German re-unification in 1990, the role of the IGS became superfluous, and the operation was taken over by the German carrier Lufthansa in 1990, which bought Pan Am's routes for USD 150 million.

A 1969 apron view of Tempelhof featuring six Pan Am 727-100s.

For more amazing images of Pan Am's operations at Berlin, have a look at our popular photo special Berlin Airport through time.

For a very interesting three-part history on the IGS have a look at this three-part article starting here.

Or read about the design of Pan Am's terminal at New York's JFK Airport here.

Did you fly with or work for Pan Am's Internal German Service? Tell us about your memories below!

More airport articles: Click here

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4 Comments

Javier Lifa

26/4/2022 13:29:48

One day I flew to Berlin on PA from Munich. The 727 was pushed back on schedule but congestion in the airways, which was common in the last years of the divided Germany, kept us on the ground for about an hour. By the time we took off we had nearly depleted the supply of onboard food.
Two footnotes:
1. The maximum operating level in the airways was FL100 (10,000 ft). This had been set during the air traffic agreement signed betwee the occupation powers in the post-war time. The Russians never agreed to review the agreement to allow for higher cruise levels. So if you were flying from abroad you could tell when you crossed the border, because the airplane flew lower (and you could see far less cars below).
2. During the last years of the divided Germany, Lufthansa and Air France had formed Euroberlin in a 49-51% split. The airline was registered as French but management was mostly German. It flew brand-new B737-300s. After reunification, LH resumed Berlin service and Euroberlin was shut down.

Erik Griswold

29/4/2022 11:19:20

The Federal Republic of Germany, the German Democratic Republic and Berlin did not become one nation until October 3rd, 1990. For all of 1989 and much of 1990 there was still some doubt that this unification would take place.

Toni

7/5/2022 15:06:54

Hello folks! Congrats on this beautiful article! As an avid timetable collector, during those pre-internet days, I used to write letters to several airlines, asking for booklets, timetables and any possible memorablia they could offer for customers and enthusiasts. I remember the Pan Am timetable with all of these flights to and from Berlin. I guess Berlin was a hub for Pan Am. The airline crossed the Atlantic onto Paris Charles de Gaulle or onto London, operating the huge Boeing 747, then passengers whose destination was Athens, Barcelona, Vienna, Berlin, etc, had to board these 727s. It always amazed me.

Tim Zukas

7/5/2022 16:00:08

PA flights to Berlin were all DC-4 until 1960. (The Wikipedia writers refuse to look at the timetable.)

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Blue Concourse

The story behind this amazing image: Pan Am 727s at Berlin Tempelhof

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