The first flight of the Junkers Ju 52/1m, as it is known by its full name, took place on September 11, 1930 - at that time with only one propeller engine. Five months later, the public got to see the plane for the first time at the airfield in Berlin-Tempelhof.

Because most airlines preferred three-engine aircraft for safety reasons, aircraft pioneer Hugo Junkers and his chief designer Ernst Zindel decided to equip the aircraft with three nine-cylinder radial engines - the birth of the Ju 52/3m. For many years, the Ju 52, also known as "Iron Annie", was the most widely used airliner in the world.
 
From a one-year restoration in 1986 until its decommissioning in 2019, Albatros organised the insurance cover for the classic aircraft. This was done via the LAIG Group policies (LAIG: Lufthansa Aviation Insurance Group), in whose cover Delvag was also involved as co-insurer.

What is particularly exciting is that there are a few points to consider when insuring a historic aircraft compared to a modern aircraft: It goes without saying that historic aircraft, like modern aircraft, must meet the safety standards required for operation. For example, some technology, such as flight navigation and radio, must be retrofitted.

In addition, a supposedly minor damage to a historic aircraft can be associated with enormous repair costs, as spare parts are rarely available. Each individual part must then be manufactured and certified individually. In the event of irreparable damage, so-called "assembly clauses" apply, whereby only the equivalent value of affected components is paid out instead of the entire value of the aircraft.

Did you know?
As the world's first and only historic airliner approved for commercial flight operations, "Iron Annie" was listed as a "movable monument" in 2015.