On June 24, 1948, Soviet forces cut road, rail, and water access to Berlin's Allied-controlled sectors. The ground was sealed. The sky was not.
The United States and Britain answered with airplanes. Food and fuel flew in from western Germany, with landings at tight spacing and quick unloading. The daily tonnage turned air corridors into a supply line.
The airlift never made the blockade harmless. It just kept West Berlin fed until land access reopened in May 1949.