Behind The Iron Curton Of Aviation. Eastern Europe Flight Map!

I was traveling to Eastern Europe last month and I immediately got a burst of old world nostalgia with the flight map on display.  The map was circa 1989 - before the fall of the Iron Curtain!  The first thing that jumped out at me was the ring surrounding West Berlin.  Upon closer inspection, I realized that East and West Germany were separate!

The Soviet Republics of Eastern Europe were not represented at all.  Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova....all lost within the all encompassing "Soviet Union" border.  Yugoslavia had yet to be broken up, so Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia, and the like were a figment of the imagination.  The Czech Republic and Slovakia had not had their divorce yet.  In fact, they were still orbiting around Moscow's sphere.

I was shocked that any airline today would still use a map like this, especially an airline based out of Eastern Europe.  I'll admit that the plane was older, but that's no excuse to use a Soviet-era map.  Of the huge investment involved in running an airline, this is surely a minor expense! 

I have to admit, that while other passengers were shocked and appalled, this map put a smile on my face.  With the benefit on hindsight, I enjoyed looking at the map and knowing how everything changed for the better.  I'll probably never see a flight map like this again.  But if I did, it wouldn't be the end of the world!  Poka!

Interflug Airline Deutsche Demokratische Republik
by Fiedler_Mundt