Himmelbahn 744 1990-2002

Bigger country means bigger plane! Himmelbahn officially ordered its first 747s only days after the official start of German reunification. The plans for the order announcement had actually begun months earlier. The airline had plans to supplement its DC-10s with MD-11s, but under immense political pressure from a West German government eager for signs of unity and progress after so many years of division, Himmelbahn was persuaded to introduce the 747 as a new flagship in place of the MD-11. This was despite concerns that Himmelbahn would be unable to operate the type profitably in the long term. There was a spectacular effort by Boeing to deliver a completed airframe to the airline so that it could play a role in the final day of German reunification. The aircraft did arrive just in time, but not before the interior was fully fitted out. Thus, the 747's first flight with Himmelbahn took place on October 3, 1990 with a flight from CGN to SXF full of German government ministers who occupied the fully fitted upper deck and were ushered through the still unfinished main cabin when entering or exiting the plane. After this flight, the remainder of this airframe, christened Berlin after the new capital, was finished. Despite worries, the airline's initial 5 744s were highly profitable on routes like MUC-HKG and soon they were joined by 10 more of the type. The 747-400 would earn its place in the backbone of Himmelbahn's long haul fleet and would operate long after the new livery in which they were first introduced was retired.