The East German passport of an Interflug-Pilot

Airline history German passport Interflug pilot

Deutsche Lufthansa was Germany’s flag carrier until the end of World War II. Following the allied conquest, all planes in the country were captured, and the airline stopped operations in 1954. Nonetheless, Lufthansa’s name was soon trademarked in West Germany, followed by Deutsche Lufthansa’s trademarking in East Germany. Officials in East Germany were concerned about potential legal complications with a name close to the initial trademarking over the border. As a result, it established Interflug in 1958 just in case there were any issues. Deutsche Lufthansa was eventually disbanded in 1963 due to weak financials. Its operations were then transferred over to Interflug to handle.

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