Cika wannan jumla: A tsakiyar shekarar 1948, Tarayyar Soviet ta sanya bangarorin Faransa, Birtaniya da Amurka na birnin da aka mamaye na
Berlin a karkashin kulle-kulle bayan wata takaddama da kasashen yammacin duniya, ta yanke hanyoyin samar da kayayyaki na gari. Yayin da bala'in jinkai ya taso, manyan kasashen yammacin duniya sun shirya wani jirgin sama mai girma don taimakawa mazaunan birnin. Don tallafawa kokarin, Gwamnatin Ostiraliya ta ba da jirgin sama da ma'aikatan jirgin sama don karfafa gudummawar Royal Air Force (RAF) na Burtaniya. Saboda rashin iyawar RAF don cikakken ma'aikatan Dakotas nasa, an yanke shawarar cewa gudunmawar Ostiraliya za ta iyakance ga ma'aikatan jirgin sama da za su yi amfani da jirgin saman Burtaniya. An kafa Rundunar Jirgin Sama ta Berlin a RAAF Richmond a watan Agusta 1948 daga ƙungiyoyin Douglas Dakota goma da aka zana daga Squadrons na 36 da na 38. A ƙarshen watan Agusta, ma'aikatan jirgin sun yi tafiya zuwa Burtaniya a matsayin fasinjoji a cikin jiragen ruwa na Qantas. Gudummawar Ostiraliya ga jirgin sama, daga Satumba 1948, an sanya shi Operation Pelican.