The West Berlin Air Corridors comprised three regulated
airwaysIn aviation, an airway is a designated route in the air. Airways are laid out between navigational aids such as VORs, NDBs and Intersections ....
for civil and military air traffic of the
Western AlliesThe term Western Allies refers to a certain political and geographic grouping among the Allied Powers of the Second World War. It generally includes the United Kingdom and British Commonwealth, the United States, France and various other European and Latin American countries, but excludes China,...
between
West BerlinWest Berlin was the name given to the western part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors established in 1945. It was in many ways integrated with, although legally not a part of, West Germany...
and
West GermanyWest Germany is a common English name for the period of the Federal Republic of Germany between its' formation in May 1949 to German reunification in October 1990, when the German Democratic Republic was dissolved and the five states on its territory joined the Federal Republic of Germany,...
passing over the former
East GermanyThe German Democratic Republic was a Communist state that originated from the Soviet Zone of occupied Germany and the Soviet sector of occupied Berlin...
's territory. The corridors were under control of the all-Allied
Berlin Air Safety CenterThe Berlin Air Safety Centre was established by the Allied Control Authority Coordinating Committee on the 12 December 1945. Operations began in February 1946 under quadripartite flight rules Paragraph 4...
, seated in West Berlin. The
airspaceAirspace means the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a particular country on top of its territory and territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere....
within these corridors was used by
USThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
,
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
and
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
-registered non-
combatCombat, or fighting, is purposeful violent conflict intended to establish dominance over the opposition.The term "combat" typically refers to armed conflict between military forces in warfare, whereas the more general term "fighting" can refer to any violent conflict...
aircraft belonging to these countries'
armed forcesThe armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external and internal aggressors. In some countries...
and airlines operated by
pilotAn aviator is a person who flies aircraft for pleasure or as a profession. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887 as a variation of the French 'aviation', from the latin 'avis', coined 1863 by G. de la Landelle in "Aviation ou Navigation Aérienne"...
s holding those countries' passports. In addition, it was also used by
LOT Polish AirlinesPolskie Linie Lotnicze LOT S.A., trading as LOT Polish Airlines or LOT , is the flag carrier of Poland, based in Warsaw. The name Polskie Linie Lotnicze means "Polish Airlines" in Polish, while lot means "flight"...
for regular scheduled services from
WarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River roughly from both the Baltic Sea coast and the Carpathian Mountains. Its population as of 2009 was estimated at 1,709,781, and the Warsaw metropolitan area at approximately 2,785,000...
to
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
and
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
via Schönefeld Airport to the south of
East BerlinEast Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a de facto part of West Germany. Despite its status as part of an occupied city,...
.
Routes
The air corridors, each of which was only 25 miles wide and compelled aircraft to fly at a maximum height of 10,000 feet, connected the three
West BerlinWest Berlin was the name given to the western part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors established in 1945. It was in many ways integrated with, although legally not a part of, West Germany...
airports of
TempelhofThe recently-closed Berlin Tempelhof Airport
was one of three airports in Berlin, Germany, situated in the south-central borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg....
,
TegelBerlin Tegel "Otto Lilienthal" Airport is the main international airport in Berlin, Germany. It lies in Tegel, a section of the northern borough of Reinickendorf, north of the city of Berlin. Tegel Airport is notable for its hexagonal terminal building around an open square, which makes for...
and Gatow
with other airfields/airports in the following directions:
- Northern air corridor: Hamburg
Hamburg Airport , also known as Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel Airport , is an international airport serving Hamburg, Germany.It originally covered . Since then, the site has grown more than tenfold to . The main apron covers . The airport is north of the centre of the City of Hamburg in the Fuhlsbüttel...
, BremenBremen Airport or Flughafen Bremen serves the German city of Bremen and is located south of the city. There were 2.4 million passengers in 2008.- History :...
, Northern EuropeNorthern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. The United Nations defines Northern Europe as including the following countries and dependent regions:** ** ** Ireland** Svalbard and Jan Mayen** ** Channel Islands: and...
- Centre air corridor: Hanover
Hannover Airport , also called Langenhagen Airport with reference to the nearby town of Langenhagen, is situated 11km north of the centre of Hanover, the capital of the German state of Lower Saxony. It is the ninth largest airport in Germany....
, DüsseldorfDüsseldorf International Airport ,is the third largest airport in Germany, located in Düsseldorf, the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia....
, Cologne/BonnCologne/Bonn Airport is an international airport located in the Wahner Heide nature reserve, Cologne/Bonn Region, Germany, southeast of Cologne city centre and northeast of Bonn. It is the sixth largest airport in Germany and one of the country's few 24-hour airports...
, Western EuropeWestern Europe is the collection of countries in the westernmost region of Europe, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a cultural entity—the region lying west of Central Europe...
- Southern air corridor: Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main Airport , known in German as Flughafen Frankfurt am Main or Rhein-Main-Flughafen is an international airport located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, southwest of the city centre. Run by Fraport, it is by far the busiest airport by passenger traffic in Germany, the third busiest...
, StuttgartStuttgart Airport is an international airport located approximately south of Stuttgart city centre, Germany....
, Munich, NurembergNuremberg Airport is the international airport of the Franconian metropolitan area of Nuremberg and the second-busiest airport in Bavaria. The airport is ranked 10th among German airports and 67th in Europe. It is also a hub for Air Berlin - Germany's second largest airline. In 2007 more than 4.2...
, Southern EuropeThe term Southern Europe, at its most general definition, is used to mean "all countries in the south of Europe". However, the concept, at different times, has had different meanings, providing additional political, linguistic and cultural context to the definition in addition to the typical...
For commercial and operational reasons, the airlines had their flights routed through the centre corridor whenever possible as this was the shortest of the three air corridors, thereby minimising the time aircraft spent cruising at the maximum permitted
altitudeAltitude is defined based on the context in which it is used . As a general definition, altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object...
of 10,000 ft. With such a low cruising altitude modern
jet aircraftA jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes — as high as 10,000 to 15,000 meters . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances...
could not attain an efficient cruising speed. This led to higher fuel consumption and extended flight times. Therefore, use of the centre air corridor was the least uneconomical option.
Accidents and incidents
- On 5 April 1948 a BEA
British European Airways or British European Airways Corporation was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974. The airline operated European and North African routes from airports around the United Kingdom...
Vickers 610 VikingThe Vickers VC.1 Viking was a British twin-engine short-range airliner derived from the Vickers Wellington bomber and built by Vickers Armstrongs Limited at Brooklands near Weybridge in Surrey. In the aftermath of the war, the Viking was an important airliner with British airlines pending the...
1B (registration: G-AIVP) operating that day's scheduled flight from NortholtRAF Northolt is a Royal Air Force station located east by northeast of Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, in West London, UK. Approximately north of London Heathrow Airport, it also handles a large number of private civilian flights....
via Hamburg to BerlinBerlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city and the eighth most populous urban area in the European Union...
collided during its approach to RAF GatowKnown for most of its operational life as Royal Air Force Station Gatow, or more commonly RAF Gatow, this former Royal Air Force military airbase is in the district of Gatow in south-western Berlin, west of the Havel river, in the borough of Spandau...
head-on with a Soviet Air ForceThe Soviet Air Force, officially known in Russian as Военно-воздушные силы or Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily and often abbreviated VVS was the official designation of one of the air forces of the Soviet Union...
Yakovlev 3 fighterA fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets by dropping bombs. Fighters are small, fast, and maneuverable...
, which was performing aerobaticsAerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in normal flight. Aerobatics are performed in airplanes and gliders for training, recreation, entertainment and sport...
in the area at that time. As a result of the collision, the Viking spiralled out of control and crashed 1.9 miles from the airport on East German territory with the loss of all 14 lives (four crew, ten passengers) on board the aircraft. The SovietThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
fighter pilotAn aviator is a person who flies aircraft for pleasure or as a profession. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887 as a variation of the French 'aviation', from the latin 'avis', coined 1863 by G. de la Landelle in "Aviation ou Navigation Aérienne"...
was killed in the accident as well. The subsequent investigation established the Soviet fighter pilot's action, which contravened all accepted rules of flying and the quadripartite- WWII Victors :The most famous Quadripartite Agreement is that of the Four Power Agreement on Berlin of 3 September 1971 between the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and France.- Locarno Pact :...
flying rules to which Soviet authorities were parties, as the cause of the accident.http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19480405-0
- On 29 April 1952 an Air France
Air France is a French airline headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, France , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
Douglas C-54A (registration F-BELI) operating an internal GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
scheduled service from Frankfurt Rhein-Main AirportFrankfurt am Main Airport , known in German as Flughafen Frankfurt am Main or Rhein-Main-Flughafen is an international airport located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, southwest of the city centre. Run by Fraport, it is by far the busiest airport by passenger traffic in Germany, the third busiest...
to Berlin Tempelhof Airport came under sustained attack from two SovietThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
MiG 15 fightersA fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets by dropping bombs. Fighters are small, fast, and maneuverable...
while passing through one of the Allied air corridors over East Germany. Although the attack had severely damaged the plane, necessitating the shutdown of engines number three and four, the pilot in command of the aircraft managed to carry out a safe emergency landingAn emergency landing is an unplanned landing made by an aircraft in response to a crisis which either interferes with the operation of the aircraft or involves sudden medical emergencies necessitating diversion to the nearest airport....
at Tempelhof Airport. A subsequent inspection of the aircraft's damage at Tempelhof revealed that it had been hit by 89 shots fired from the Soviet MiGs during the preceding air attackAir attack may refer to:* An air raid, a military attack by aircraft* An airstrike, a tactical military attack by aircraft against ground targets* An aerial firefighting mission or series of missions* The 1996 Air Attack arcade game by Comad...
. There were no fatalities among the 17 occupants (six crew, eleven passengers) despite the severity of the attack. The Soviet military authorities defended this attack on an unarmed civilian aircraft by claiming the Air France plane was outside the air corridor at the time of attack.http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19520429-0
- On 15 November 1966 a Pan Am
Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the "flagship" international airline of the United States from the 1930s until its collapse on December 4, 1991...
Boeing 727-21 (registration N317PA) operating the return leg of the airline's daily cargo flight from Berlin to Frankfurt Rhein-Main Airport (flight number PA 708) was due to land that night at Tegel Airport, rather than Tempelhof, due to runway resurfacing work taking place at that time at the latter. Berlin Control had cleared flight 708 for an ILSAn instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...
approach to Tegel Airport's runway 08, soon after the crew had begun its descent from FLA Flight Level is a standard nominal altitude of an aircraft, in hundreds of feet. This altitude is calculated from a world-wide fixed pressure datum of 1013.25 hPa , the average sea-level pressure, and therefore is not necessarily the same as the aircraft's true altitude either above mean...
030 before entering the southwest air corridor over East Germany on the last stretch of its journey to Berlin. The aircraft impacted the ground near DallgowDallgow-Döberitz is a municipality in the Havelland district, in Brandenburg, Germany.-Geography:It consists of the villages Dallgow-Döberitz, Rohrbeck and Seeburg. To the east it shares border with the Spandau borough of Berlin. Neighbouring Brandenburg municipalities are Falkensee in the north...
, East Germany, almost immediately after the crew had acknowledged further instructions received from Berlin Control, just ten miles from Tegel Airport. All three crew members lost their lives in this accident. Visibility was poor, and it was snowing at the time of the accident. Following the accident, the Soviet military authorities in East Germany returned only half of the aircraft's wreckage to their US counterparts in West Berlin. This excluded vital parts, such as the FDRA flight data recorder is a kind of flight recorder. It is a device used to record specific aircraft performance parameters...
, the CVRA Cockpit Voice Recorder , sometimes referred to as a "black box", is a flight recorder used to record the audio environment in the flightdeck of an aircraft for the purpose of investigation of accidents and incidents. This is typically achieved by recording the signals of the microphones and...
as well as the plane's flight control systemsAircraft flight control surfaces allow a pilot to adjust and control the aircraft's flight attitude.Development of an effective set of flight controls was a critical advance in the development of the aircraft...
, its navigationThe principles of air navigation are the same for all aircraft, big or small. Air navigation involves successfully piloting an aircraft from place to place without getting lost, breaking the laws applying to aircraft, or endangering the safety of those on board or on the ground.Air navigation...
and communication equipment. The subsequent NTSBThe National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. Government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
investigation report concluded that the aircraft's descent below its altitude clearance limit was the accident's probable cause. However, the NTSB was unable to establish the factors that had caused the crew to descend below its cleared minimum altitude.http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19661115-0
External links