Deruluft

The company was created in November 1921 on the basis of a concession agreement between Soviet Russia on the one hand and the German Aero Union air service society on the other ^{[1] [2]} . The main capital of the company amounted to 5 million marks , half was contributed by the Soviet side, the other half - by Germany. At the same time, all current expenses for operating the airline fell on the Soviet side. The company was headed by two directors, one from each side; the pilots and technical personnel consisted of both Soviet citizens and Germans ^{[3] [4]} . Since 1924, the German side began to pay operating costs in the amount of 30% ^[5] . In 1926, Aero Union joined the newly organized airline Lufthansa , which thus became the representative of Deruluft from the German side ^[6] . Since 1927, the costs of maintaining society have changed again: the Soviet side began to pay 45%, the German side - 55% ^[3] .

On May 1, 1922, the airline launched its first airline, Moscow - Smolensk - Kovno - Königsberg , which carried mail and passengers. In the years 1925-1927 on the line there was an additional landing in Riga . Since 1928, this route returned to its original route, and since 1933, landing instead of Smolensk began in Velikiye Luki ^{[7] [1]} . In the early years, 10 aircraft were used to service the line. Flights were made twice a week in 1922, three times in 1923, and six times a week in 1924. ^[8] Until 1925, the airline operated from May 1 to November 1, closing for the winter period ^[1] . The flight from Moscow to Koenigsberg in 1925 took 8.5 hours and cost 320 Reichsmarks or 76 US dollars for one passenger ^[9] .

In 1925, the Moscow-Königsberg line was extended to Berlin, and since 1926 night flights began to operate on it - one of the first in the world; this reduced travel time between capitals. In the late 1920s, the airline began using Dornier Mercourt aircraft. In 1928, a new airline was opened: Leningrad - Tallinn - Riga, on which Junkers F 13 aircraft were used for transportation; in 1930 this line was extended to Konigsberg, and in 1933 to Berlin ^{[7] [10]} . In the 1930s, the airline purchased , ANT-9 and Junkers U 52 aircraft . In 1935, the flight Berlin - Moscow lasted 10 hours and cost 160 Reichsmarks or 74 rubles ; the flight from Berlin to Leningrad lasted 9.5 hours at a cost of 140 Reichsmarks or 65 rubles ^[11] . In 1936, the Soviet-German concession agreement was terminated, and in the next 1937 the company ceased its activities ^[3] .

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