Air Berlin was the predecessor of Germany’s second biggest airline, Air Berlin. The airline was based in Oregon, USA, and owned three aircraft. It was transformed into today’s airline soon after the German reunification.
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Air Berlin USA was founded by former PanAm captain Kim Lundgren in Oregon, USA, in 1978. The reason for the founding place was the existing law allowing only aircraft from the allied nations to land in Berlin after WWII.
Service was commenced on April 28, 1979, with a leased Boeing 707 en route from Berlin to Palma de Mallorca. By the end of 1981, the 707 had been replaced by two Boeing 737s and the Mediterranean became main destination area.
With the German reunification, the allies lost their privileges of flights and the airline had to be converted to a German company. This action was taken by new CEO Joachim Hunold (former LTU manager) on April 16, 1991. The new airline name was Air Berlin GmbH & Co. Luftverkehrs KG. It was restructured and became Germany’s second biggest airline, which it remains until today.
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