Clipper cargo horizons, Vol. 2, No. 10, October 1962

              A Pan Am Publication About Worldwide Air Distribution • Vol. 2, No. 10 • October, 1962

Political crises make the news — but industry continues to thrive and . . .
Air Cargo
Air transportation plays a unique role in the economy of West Berlin, which continues at record levels despite the political crises confronting the city.
Industrial growth has been phenomenal during the past uneasy decade in the face of the many problems besetting this political island 110 miles inside East Germany. Exports, imports and industrial output reached new peaks last year and production for the first six months of 1962 shows a slight rise over the same period of 1961.
The three air corridors linking West Berlin with the rest of the Western world are of vital importance to the city. This fact was demonstrated in spectacular fashion during the 1948 airlift when ground transportation was blockaded by the East Germans and the air routes kept the city alive.
Now, in the movement of cargo as well as passengers, air services perform functions peculiar to the unique political situation.
For example, many shipments move by air to avoid contact with East German authorities who control traffic on the autobahns and railroads. The East Germans check shipments on the ground routes, examine papers meticulously and may cause trouble if they find any slight discrepancy. Shipments can be delayed or even confiscated. So a firm with an export contract, guaranteeing delivery by a certain date, may ship by air to eliminate red tape and risk.
Household goods often move by air in and out of West Berlin so the owners won’t have to confront the East Germans. If the goods are shipped by
*Trade Mark Reg.
REFUGEES use air cargo for household goods, avoid border checks.
MAIL service to and from West Berlin is speeded by special Pan American airlift.
Aids Berlin Economy
TEMPELHOF airport in West Berlin is served by Pan American with 70 flights a day to and from eight cities in the Federal Republic of Germany.
surface, the owners must present themselves for clearance at the border—and many West Germans have good reason to avoid this risk.
Volume of household goods out of Berlin was extremely high just before the East Germans erected the wall which now divides the two Berlins. At that time, thousands of refugees from East Germany were leaving by air and shipping their belongings by air freight to avoid the border checks.
Certain individual air cargo shipments reflect the unusual situation in Berlin. Recently Pan American brought in a total of 120 jeep-style vehicles for use in West Berlin. Special paper for the government printing agency is brought in, for safety, by air. Forms, stocks,
passports, sometimes money is printed by the agency and the product also moves out by air to other West German cities.
The air links to West Berlin are operated by three airlines representing the three Western occupying powers — U. S., Britain and France. Pan American handles about two-thirds of the total air traffic, offering 70 flights a day to and from eight cities in the Federal Republic of Germany. Pan Am has been providing this intra-Germany service for 16 years, carrying about a million passengers a year.
During the first seven months of 1962, air cargo in and out of West (Continued on Page 2)