5000 Flights: The British European Airways

The British European Airways (BEA) and other civilian carriers were key to the British contribution to the success of the Berlin Airlift. From the beginning in July, they filled supply gaps in the complex air operation and took on various roles within the supply system. However, they did not operate free of charge, and the British Foreign Office recorded the total cost of the civilian chartered airlift (the 'Civil Lift') in December 1948 as £5,491,000, increasing from £113,000 in August 1948 to £914,000 in June 1949.

On December 16, 1948, the 5,000th civilian transport aircraft, an Avro York from the British charter company Skyways, landed in Berlin. After the Berlin Airlift, the company continued to offer regular flights to Germany until it merged with British Airways on April 1, 1974.