Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-AG
| Founded | 16 November 1909 |
|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 19 June 1910 |
| Ceased operations | 1935 |
| Operating bases | Düsseldorf, Germany: Baden-Baden, Germany |
| Fleet size | See Airships below |
| Destinations |
Berlin See Transatlantic service below |
| Key people | Alfred Colsman (founding general director) |
DELAG, acronym for Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft (German for "German Airship Travel Corporation"), was the world's first airline to use an aircraft in revenue service. It was founded on 16 November 1909 and operated Zeppelin rigid airships manufactured by the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin Corporation. Its headquarters were located in Frankfurt, Germany.
DELAG was founded at the suggestion of Alfred Colsman, the business manager of Zeppelin Luftschiffbau. The company was having difficulty in obtaining orders from the German army, so Colsman suggested exploiting the German public's enthusiastic interest by establishing a commercial passenger-carrying company. Count Zeppelin himself distanced himself from this commercialisation of his idea: as an aristocrat and ex-officer, he saw it as a vulgar tradesman's enterprise. Colsman, who became the airline's first general director, managed to secure the cooperation of Albert Ballin, the head of the Hamburg America Line who offered 100,000 Marks a year to promote the enterprise on the condition that his offices had exclusive rights to sell tickets, and Colsman had little difficulty in raising the necessary three million marks capital. Much of the initial capital came from the cities of Frankfurt am Main and Düsseldorf, and a number of cities built airship sheds at their own expense.
The first Zeppelin to be constructed for the company was LZ 7, which was named Deutschland. First flown on 19 June 1910, it had a useful lift of 5,000 kg (11,000 lb) and had accommodation for 24 passengers. Cruising speed was 51 km/h (32 mph). Given this performance it was realised that scheduled inter-city services would not be feasible, and that the company would be limited to offering pleasure cruises in the vicinity of their bases. However, the Deutschland was destroyed on 28 June 1910 while taking a consignment of journalists on a trip intended to generate publicity. The airship was first prevented from returning to its base in Düsseldorf and then, caught by a thunderstorm, was first carried up to a height of 1,100 m (3,500 ft) and then, heavy from loss of hydrogen caused by the rapid ascent and from rainwater on the envelope, forced down into the Teutoburger forest. Fortunately there was only one injury. This left DELAG with only a single airship, LZ 6, which had been built the previous year with the hope of its being bought by the army and subsequently enlarged and modified for passenger-carrying purpose. Operating from Baden-Baden, successful flights were made almost daily between late August and mid-September, but on 14 September it was destroyed in a fire while in its hangar. Fortunately it was insured, and DELAG could complete its next ship, LZ 8 Deutschland II.
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