While moseying though airliners.net, I stumbled down a rabbit hole…a 1980s East German TV services called Treffpunkt Flughafen (Airport Meeting Point) that explores the life of an IL-62 crew flying for Interflug, the flag carrier of the DDR (East Germany).
Treffpunkt Flughafen, A 1980s East German Reality TV Series On Interflug
I’ve written about Interflug before, the fascinating East German airline that had a fleet of Soviet jets and offered service across Europe and to destinations.
> Read More: The Fall Of The Berlin Wall Induced The Fall Of Interflug
Between 1985 and 1986, East Germany produced eight episodes of a “reality TV” program called Treffpunkt Flughafen, which starred the flight crew of an Interflug Ilyushin Il-62, a Russian-made jet that was a staple of Cold War travel under the Soviet sphere of influence.
The stories were fictionalized, but showcased the glamorous (and often dramatic) lives of flight attendants and flight deck crew (it appeared the IL-62 had four pilots and a navigator…). Not all scenes take place at airports or onboard airplanes, but it was fun to see vintage airlines and the classic airliners at the East German Berlin-Schönefeld Airport (now closed with the opening of Berlin Brandenburg).
Here’s a preview of the series:
And the episode I watched:
The irony of Treffpunkt Flughafen was that East Germans had to live vicariously through TV shows like this because they were not allowed to leave. Departing East Germany, at least when heading west, required an exit visa. Fearing brain drain, these exit passes were rarely issued (hello Berlin Wall…) and required special connections. Even permitted destinations like Cuba and Angola were beyond the reach of most East Germans due to the high cost of travel.
But through Treffpunkt Flughafen, East Germans could see life outside the DDR–and of course be reminded at the end of the day how happy crews were to return to East Germany. It helps to speak German, but I quite enjoyed my first taste of this series.
CONCLUSION
It’s hard for me to conceptualize what it was like to fly behind the Iron Curtain, though this TV series, fictional and idealized, nevertheless helps. I wish I had the the time to binge watch all eight episodes, but I certainly enjoyed the episode above.
Interestingly, I have some friends in Sweden who as kids would fly on Interflug from Stockholm via Berlin to Turkey in the 80’s. The fares were apparently crazy cheap and quite popular. I guess you could call them Europe’s first LCC!
I have flown on many East European and Central Asian carriers, from a Belavia Tu-134 to an Irtysh Avia Yak42. Love them all. But never managed Interflug.
I did visit East Berlin once though, taking the Subway from West Berlin and spending the day there. Fascinating.
I took them only once: from either Rome or Athens ( can’t remember but likely Rome) to Warsaw via Berlin. While I don’t recall it being terrible, nor do I have any memory of the kind of smiling jollity displayed in this program. Stasi must have made their lives quite precarious and anxious.
The IL-62 crew of 5 consisted of 2 pilots, 1 Flight Engineer, 1 Navigator and 1 Radio Operator – pretty typical of the Soviet era commercial jets.
Interflug was an interesting airline…I’m fortunate to have known a number of their former pilots and cabin crews…their stories were fascinating. They (along with a lot of help from the Stasi) basically divided their employees into two groups…those who were allowed to fly trips into the west and those who were not. This decision was never really communicated directly to the pilot or flight attendant, but they ultimately realized it based upon trip assignments. The IL 62 crews were the elite, as they got to fly far and wide, but they all had to be married (to help prevent defections) and vetted by the powers that be. The IL 18 crews generally only flew to the Eastern Bloc, but got the occasional charter to the west, but again, the crews were handpicked. Same for the Tu-134 crews. Throughout Interflug’s history, and similar to that of most Eastern European carriers, very few crews defected. They were the elite, and lived lives of relative luxury, compared to their fellow countrymen. There were stories of Stasi informers being part of every Interflug crew, and while I have no idea if this was true, the Balkan crews I know said that they were trusted and had no reason or desire to defect. The crews that I know from all these carriers, including the Aeroflot ones from back in the day look back on those times with a sense of nostalgia…while they may not have agreed with their governments and the deprivations (thoughts that were kept strictly to themselves), they enjoyed a stability and quality of life that was out of reach to most of their fellow citizens, except for the upper elite. Back to Interflug, their flagship route was from Berlin to Havana, via Gander in Canada. There were actually a number of defections by East Germans on the refueling stop in Gander (in fact, the Canadians had a RCMP on duty to deal with such cases). Most East Germans would defect during the stop on the way to Cuba, but there were more than a few who decided to defect on the way home, after enjoying a state paid holiday. You can imagine their despair when leaving Havana, on those few occasions, when the Captain made the welcome aboard PA, and explained that owing to very strong tailwinds, no refueling stop in Gander would be required and they would be proceeding non stop back to Berlin!!
Thomas, I love this background! Thank you for taking the time to share.