On October 13, 1959, tens of thousands of Hamburg residents flock to the airport in Fuhlsbüttel to witness the landing of the first passenger jet aircraft. But hardly anyone sees the jet.
by Marc-Oliver Rehrmann, NDR.de
Hamburg Airport had never experienced anything like this before. On the evening of October 13, 1959, more than 25,000 curious people made their way to the Fuhlsbüttel site to watch the first landing of a passenger jet aircraft in the city - a Boeing 707 of the US airline PanAm. "It was as if the runway had become a super stadium where the international football match of the year would run across the lawn," writes the "Hamburger Abendblatt" about the spectacle. A huge contingent of police officers ensure barriers. Drivers make their rounds around the airport in vain to find a parking space. Long queues form in front of the best vantage points.
Boeing 707 only stays in Fuhlsbüttel for eight minutes
The anticipation among the onlookers is great - the disappointment as well. Because in the midst of the crowd, a voice from the speakers announces that the jet is already gone. What happened? The Boeing 707 arrived 20 minutes earlier than announced. It also doesn't remain on the runway in Fuhlsbüttel for 50 minutes as planned, but takes off again in the direction of London after just eight minutes.
Missed landing:"Adolescents went crazy"
Only very few get to see the new type of jet aircraft. "Out of disappointment, some teenagers went crazy, started whistling and smashed the windows of a construction site", is later to be read in the "Abendblatt".
The schedule gets messed up because the pilot of the jet plane is pressed for time. The return flight to New York is still on the plan for the same evening. That's why the flying visit to the Hanseatic city is much shorter than expected. And yet the evening heralds a new era:the age of jet aircraft for passenger traffic in northern Germany.
Is there enough runway for the jet planes?
A view of the cockpit of a Boeing 707 around 1960:far fewer instruments were required than in propeller aircraft.On the premiere flight, only one person gets out of the Boeing 707 at Hamburg Airport:chief pilot Thomas Flanaghan. He reports that the landing went absolutely smoothly from the pilots' point of view. Despite the ground haze, the Fuhlsbüttel beacons were already in sight over the Elbe. The flight was considered a test flight. Because the US airline PanAm wants to add Hamburg to its route network soon. The problem:The longest runway in Fuhlsbüttel, at 2,259 meters, is not long enough for the new type of jet - at least not for a fully fueled Boeing 707. The solution:The jet aircraft takes off in the Hanseatic city with only around 70 percent of its maximum weight. For the planned Atlantic flights from Hamburg, the machine will only be fully refueled in London. "The length of the runway in Hamburg is completely sufficient for a half-fuelled machine," said chief pilot Flanaghan after the first landing.
The fastest connection ever
And so nothing stands in the way of regular take-offs and landings of the jets in Hamburg. Barely two weeks after the premiere visit, PanAm will start its trans-Atlantic flights. From October 26, 1959, the Boeing 707 flies the Copenhagen-Hamburg-London-New York route three times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays). "It is the fastest connection from the old to the new world that has ever existed," writes the "Abendblatt". The pure flight time to New York is only nine and a half hours, almost half of the previous flight time.
"No shaking, quiet hum"
Initially an expensive affair, but travelers also appreciate the flight with the jet plane because of the increased comfort.For the travelers, flying in a jet plane is a whole new experience. "At the start, it only takes three minutes for all four turbines to run," marvels an "Abendblatt" reporter. "No shaking and bumping as with the piston engines of the propeller planes. Quiet hum. Loudness in the cabin as in the S-Bahn." There are 113 seats on board the Boeing 707, including 36 seats in 1st class. In addition, a crew of eleven flies. At that time, a ticket for the Hamburg-New York route cost DM 2,324 in tourist class and DM 4,266 in first class. Smoking is still allowed on board. A cocktail will be served shortly after departure in Hamburg, followed by a hot breakfast.
Jet Planes:Higher and Faster
Even the first passenger jets could fly at an altitude of 10,000 to 12,000 meters, while propeller aircraft only managed 3,000 to 3,500 meters. The low air resistance at high altitudes made it possible for the first jet aircraft to fly very quickly. While they had a cruising speed of 800 to 900 km/h, most propeller planes only traveled half that speed.
The US airline not only offers trips to London and New York - Frankfurt (daily) and Düsseldorf (four times a week) will also be served with jet aircraft from now on. A total of 28 flights to and from Hamburg are scheduled each week.
"Jets have made flying safer"
At the beginning of the jet plane era, the Boeing 707 was considered a "giant of the skies".With the jets, the airplane becomes a means of mass transport. "The jet planes could carry more than twice as many passengers as most propeller planes," says Robert Kluge, curator of modern aviation at the Deutsches Museum in Munich. As a result, the tickets have also become significantly cheaper. The travel time was shortened enormously because the jets flew at much higher speeds. "In addition, for the first time you could get to the USA with the jet planes from Europe without a stopover," says Kluge in an interview with NDR.de. "And don't forget, jet planes have made flying safer."
Runways will be extended for the jets
In order to make the airport fit for the future, the Hamburg Senate decided in August 1959 to convert Fuhlsbüttel into a jet airfield. Initially, runway I is to be extended by almost 1,000 meters to 3,250 metres, and later runway II, which is shorter, is to be expanded from 1,466 meters to 3,620 metres. In addition, the terminal building will be "generously expanded". The Senate rejects the proposal from Schleswig-Holstein to relocate the airport to Kaltenkirchen, around 40 kilometers away.
How loud are the jet planes?
But the new type of aircraft initially raised concerns among local residents in the fall of 1959:are the new jet aircraft, such as the Boeing 707, louder than the previous propeller planes? A few months earlier, a French Caravelle jet had landed in the Hanseatic city and caused "hellish noise". Many residents ask themselves how loud the much larger Boeing 707 would have to be. But aircraft experts say Boeing is more modern and quiet. Measurements also show that the engines of the 707 are not much louder than a moped rattling through the streets.
There is more good news for residents who fear for their sleep:the jets to New York will take off in broad daylight and not at night, as initially feared. Also because Hamburg Airport had previously made it clear that a take-off between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. would not be approved. "Under all circumstances" the people living near the airport should be assured of a good night's sleep.
Lufthansa will follow soon
In eight and a half hours, Lufthansa crossed the Atlantic with its Boeing 707 from 1960.Lufthansa is also switching to the new jets. And so Hamburg Airport experienced another premiere in the spring of 1960:on March 2, 1960, the Lufthansa pilots Rudolf Mayr and Werner Utter landed a Boeing 707 that had just been delivered in Seattle in the Hanseatic city. It is the first Lufthansa jet aircraft. The first passengers board the plane in Fuhlsbüttel on March 17, 1960. With 14 press representatives on board, the Boeing 707-430 makes an introductory flight from Hamburg via Frankfurt am Main to New York. With this flight, Lufthansa begins commercial jet service. At that time, the machine needed 40 minutes to reach Frankfurt and from there crossed the Atlantic in eight and a half hours.
And then comes the jumbo
In October 1960, the extended runway I went into operation. And in 1961, Hamburg Airport counted more than one million passengers for the first time. From 1970, even more passengers could take off on intercontinental flights with the Boeing 747, also known as the jumbo jet. The apron at Hamburg Airport is being reinforced for the 350-ton aircraft, while the airport terminal is being given a new handling position especially for the jumbo, including the first two passenger boarding bridges.
The number of passengers at Hamburg Airport has continued to rise rapidly since then:from a good three million passengers in 1970 to more than 17 million in 2019. Then in 2020 the Corona crisis pushed the handling numbers down to just 4.56 million. Airport boss Michael Eggenschwiler is assuming that passenger numbers will increase noticeably again this summer. However, he does not expect the crisis to end until 2023.