Main Business: Airline operations at Persia and Middle East
Management Positions: 1927 - 1932 Kurt Weil, head of Junkers Luftverkehr Persien
Facilities: based at Teheran
Company Development: 1927 Hugo Junkers is authorized by the Persian Government to setup an airline operation in Persia
1932 Junkers Luftverkehr Persien dissolved as a consequence of the World Economic Crisis of 1932.
While in Europe all Junkers airtransport activities were stopped after the integration of Junkers Luftverkehr into Deutsche Luft Hansa AG in January 1926, one Junkers airline still remained active after this time in Persia. Junkers Luftverkehr Persia was initiated by a contract between Junkers and the Persian government in 1924. During this time Junkers was thinking of a new network from Scandinavia to Persia, which should end in Teheran. During 1922/23 Junkers concentrated his activities for this route in Russia and founded here Junkers Luftverkehr Russia . But these activities came to end in 1924, after the Russian airline Ukrwosduchputj took over responsiblity of the routing from Moscow to Baku and Tiflis from Junkers Luftverkehr. The routing from Konigsberg to Moscow had never been served by Junkers as Deruluft had exclusive rights for this route.
Therefore Junkers concentrated on the final part of the route in Persia since the end of 1924. A first flight between Baku in Russia and Teheran was perforemd on December 20th, 1924. A total of three Junkers F13 aircraft were taken over from Junkers Luftverkehr Russia and were stationed at Teheran from where the Teheran-Baku route was operated until March 1925. After this experimental flights were finished extensive discussions with the Persian government were started and finally on February, 26th 1926 (one month after Junkers Luftverkehr in Europe was absorbed by Luft Hansa) an agreement was signed for the foundation of Junkers Luftverkehr Persia. Kurt Weil was send to Teheran for the organisation of this new airtraffic venture of Junkers. It took a further year until the first aircraft took off.
On February 8th, 1927 regular services were opened by Junkers Luftverkehr Persia on the route from Teheran to Pahlevi at the Caspian Sea and toKermanshah and Hamadan at the Iraqui border with a Junkers F13. In February 1928 the Pahlevi route was extended to Baku, where a connection to the Ukrwosduchputj route from Baku to Moscow existed, connecting Persia with Germany via the Deruluft connection in Moscow. So Junkers final Middle East route was established, also Junkers Luftverkehr in Europe no longer existed. In April 1928 a new route was established from Teheran to Isfahan, Shiraz and Bushire at the Persian Gulf coast. In 1929 Junkers Luftverkehr Persia opened another route from Teheran to Meshed and finally in 1930 Tabriz, the second largest town of Persia was connected with Teheran via Kazvin.
Junkers Luftverkehr Persien (c) Iranian Airline Industry Site
A total of six Junkers F13 aircraft and a single Junkers W33 were operated during this time by Junkers Luftverkehr Persia. In 1930 Ukrwosduchputj stopped operating the Moscow-Baku route isolating Junkers Luftverkehr Persia in the local area of Persia. Junkers Luftverkehr Persia continued with internal Middle East services until 1932 and finally ceased operations. The aircraft were returned to Germany and Kurt Weil also went back to Berlin. So, the world's last remaining Junkers airline came to an end in 1932.
Junkers Luftverkehr Persien Routing of 1930 (from R.E.G. Davies: Lufthansa - an Airline and its Aircraft)
Updated:
12th June 2004
The Hugo Junkers Homepage at http://www.junkers.de.vu
� Horst Zoeller, Germany, August 1996
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