The flights followed the 15km illuminated border made up of 8,000 luminous balloons that traced a section of the former wall path.
Flights were operated by the German airline using its 76-seat Q-400 aircraft, and the flights were given the numbers AB1989, AB1990 and AB1991, to represent the year of the fall of the wall, the year of reunification and the year of the re-launch of Air Berlin as a German Airline.
The 35-minute sightseeing flights departed Berlin Tegel Airport at 17:30pm, 19:00pm and 20:30pm on November 8, 2014.
The aircraft flew at 1,000 metres to allow passengers the opportunity to see the illuminated balloons, which were used as a symbol of the fall of the wall and a sign of freedom.
Passengers were also provided with champagne and snacks during the flight as part of the experience, as well as an on-board tourist guide to provide information about the collapse of the Berlin wall.
In light of the background of the event, airberlin awarded 35 balloon sponsorships to mark the airline’s 35th anniversary. The balloons were places along the path of the wall, alongside the other sponsored balloons.
The carrier was expected to carry close to 36,000 passengers to Berlin during the Silver Jubilee celebrations, which spanned across the weekend.
Airberlin was formed during the creation of the Berlin Wall, when Germany was divided as only airlines of Allied nations were permitted to fly to West Berlin. Airberlin was founded in 1979 as an American charter airline, and was able to offer flights from West Berlin.
After the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the airline lost its air traffic rights, but had them restored when it re-launched as a German airline in 1991, and today is Germany’s second largest carrier.
Information related to the event, and stories about each individual balloon can be found here.
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