The origins of wide-body commercial aircraft are rooted in the development programme for a strategic long-range bomber that was brought to an end prematurely. The prototypes of the Junkers Ju 89 were based on this programme. The majority of the components for the third prototype, the Ju 89 V-3, was integrated in a parallel civilian development with official approval. The aim of this project was to develop a four-engine large passenger aircraft for long-range flights. A tender was published as early as 1933. In principle, the first prototype designated Junkers Ju 90 was nothing more than a Ju 89 provided with a wide-body fuselage developed for carrying passengers. Four Daimler-Benz DB 600 C engines each delivering 669 kW were used to power this all-metal, low-wing aircraft fitted with cantilevered horizontal stabilizers. However, their use was strictly linked with military developments. Further test and subsequent production prototypes therefore had to be fitted with BMW 132 radial engines only delivering power of 610 kW and these were not really powerful enough.
The maiden flight of the Ju 90 V-1 took place on 28 August 1937. The impressive dimensions quickly earned the nickname “The big Dessauer”. Flight testing went satisfactorily and the construction of three other test prototypes progressed quickly. Deutsche Lufthansa carried out the long-distance test. Press and passengers quickly became enthusiastic about Junkers’ new wide-body airliner with the spacious fuselage providing comfortable room for up to 40 passengers. The crash sustained by the “Big Dessauer” during a test flight on 7 February 1938 and the tragic loss of the Ju 90 V-2 “Preussen” in an accident during takeoff on 26 November 1938 in Bathurst, South Africa, did not to diminish the enthusiasm for this aircraft. A total of ten prototypes was planned with the fourth prototype serving as the basis for the actual production design Ju 90 Z-2. Deutsche Lufthansa ordered 12 of these aircraft, but only six aircraft could be delivered by 1940. All the aircraft and the corresponding prototypes performed well on internal German flights and flights across Europe. For example, the Ju 90 V-3 “Bayern” flew a total of 62,572 km in 1938, 0.4 % of the total distance covered by airliners operated by Deutsche Lufthansa. South Africa was the first and only foreign customer to order two other aircraft to be powered by Pratt & Whitney SC-G “Twin Wasp” engines each delivering power of 883 kW. However, the aircraft with the designation Ju 90 Z-3 were never supplied to South African Airways and instead were taken over by the German Luftwaffe fitted with BMW 132 engines.
A few months after the start of the war, Deutsche Lufthansa had to hand over most of its fleet of Ju 90 aircraft to the Luftwaffe and they were generally used as military transports. Some of the aircraft were subsequently returned to Lufthansa and used on more or less regular scheduled flights, for example to Spain. Only three of these aircraft survived the war, but they were scrapped soon afterwards.
