"Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland. The Dutch airline KLM made its first flight in 1920, and is the oldest continuously operating airline in the world. Established by aviator Albert Plesman, it was immediately awarded a ""Royal"" predicate from Queen Wilhelmina. Its first flight was from Croydon Airport, London to Amsterdam, using a leased Aircraft Transport and Travel DH-16, and carrying two British journalists and a number of newspapers. In 1921, KLM started scheduled services. In Finland, the charter establishing Aero O/Y (now Finnair) was signed in the city of Helsinki on September 12, 1923. Junkers"
"airline in the world, older are only Dutch KLM (1919), Colombian Avianca (1919), Australian Qantas (1920) and Soviet/Russian Aeroflot (1923). It is also the second airline to initiate successful jet airliner services (in 1957 using the Tu-104) and simultaneously the first airline in the world to fly regular jet-only routes (between Prague and Moscow). ČSA was founded on 6 October 1923, by the Czechoslovak government as ČSA ""Československé státní aerolinie"" (Czechoslovak State Airlines). Twenty-three days later its first transport flight took place, flying between Prague and Bratislava. It operated only domestic services until its first international flight from Prague to"
"Delta is the sixth-oldest operating airline by foundation date, and the oldest airline to still be operating in the United States. The company's history can be traced back to ""Huff Daland Dusters"", founded in 1924 in Macon, Georgia as a crop dusting operation. The company moved to Monroe, Louisiana, and was later renamed ""Delta Air Services"", in reference to the nearby Mississippi Delta region, and commenced passenger services on June 17, 1929. Among predecessors of today's Delta Air Lines, Western Airlines and Northwest Airlines began flying passengers in 1926 and 1927, respectively. Delta is the world's second largest airline in"
"SCADTA The Colombian-German Air Transport Company (, ), or SCADTA, was the world's second airline, and the first airline in the Americas, operating from 1919 until World War II. After the war, SCADTA merged with Colombian regional carrier Colombian Air Service (), or SACO. Together, SCADTA and SACO formed Avianca - Aerovías Nacionales de Colombia, the Colombian flag-carrier. Avianca still operates to this day and claims SCADTA's history as its own, thus making it the world's second-oldest airline. After Avianca was purchased by Brazilian entrepreneur German Efromovich's company Synergy Group in 2004, the full name of the company was changed"
"15, 1936. The airline was started in 1927 as Scenic Airways by J. Parker Van Zandt at Grand Canyon, Arizona with a Stinson SM-1 Detroiter and Ford Trimotor aircraft. In February 23, 1929, the opening day of the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, Scenic Airways dropped wooden key on the roof of the hotel's ballroom. The key is on display above the fireplace of the Biltmore History Room. Scenic Airways changed its name to Grand Canyon Airlines in 1930, and Grand Canyon Airlines is believed to be the world's oldest air tour company in continuous operations. Two Grand Canyon Airlines pilots were"
"as Flight 1939—with 1939 commemorating the birth of All American Aviation, which evolved over the decades to become US Airways. However, repainting of US Airways' planes into the American Airlines scheme was expected to take until ""late 2016"", with new flight attendant uniforms also being introduced in 2016, at which point the US Airways brand was to no longer be displayed on any of its former planes, employees or assets. US Airways traces its history to All American Aviation Inc, a company founded in 1939 by du Pont family brothers Richard C. du Pont and Alexis Felix du Pont, Jr.."
"Pan American World Airways Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international airline of the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991. It was founded in 1927 as a scheduled air mail and passenger service operating between Key West, Florida and Havana, Cuba. The airline is credited for many innovations that shaped the international airline industry, including the widespread use of jet aircraft, jumbo jets, and computerized reservation systems. It was also a founding member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA),"
"1920s, the oldest of these being Varney Air Lines, which was founded in 1926. United has seven hubs, with Chicago–O'Hare being its largest in terms of both the number of passengers carried (16.8 million in 2016) and the number of departures (181,488 in 2016). United operates maintenance bases in Cleveland and Orlando. The company employs over 86,000 people while maintaining its headquarters in Chicago's Willis Tower. Through the airline's parent company, United Continental Holdings, it is publicly traded under with a market capitalization of over US$21 billion as of January 2018. United traces its roots to Varney Air Lines (VAL),"
"February 26, 1941, its license to operate as an airliner was derived from merged Philippine Aerial Taxi Company (PATCO) established by mining magnate Emmanuel N. Bachrach on December 3, 1930, making it Asia's oldest scheduled carrier still in operation. Commercial air service commenced three weeks later from Manila to Baguio, making it Asia's first airline route. Bachrach's death in 1937 paved the way for its eventual merger with Philippine Airlines in March 1941 and made it Asia's oldest airline. It is also the oldest airline in Asia still operating under its current name. Bachrach's majority share in PATCO was bought"
"History of Philippine Airlines Philippine Airlines is the flag carrier of the Philippines, operating from its base at Ninoy Aquino International Airport. PAL is the oldest airline in Asia operating under its original name, having been founded in 1941. On November 14, 1935, the Philippine Congress approved the franchise of Philippine Aerial Taxi Company Incorporated (PATCO) to provide mail, cargo and passenger service particularly in the island of Luzon. The company then had scheduled Manila-Baguio and Manila-Paracale flights. The company became dormant for six years on its scheduled passenger operation under its assigned routes. On February 26, 1941, Philippine Air"
"to TUI Airways on 2 October 2017. This was in line with sister companies TUI fly Belgium, TUI fly Deutschland, TUI fly Netherlands and TUI fly Nordic. All airlines in the group, excluding Corsair International, are now rebranded to TUI. TUI Airways has its origins in several predecessor airlines. ""Euravia"", an airline which was founded in January 1962 was renamed Britannia Airways in December 1964. Orion Airways, founded in 1979 by Horizon Holidays and later owned by the large brewing firm Bass Brewery and InterContinental Hotels Group, was sold and merged into Britannia Airways in 1989. Britannia Airways was rebranded"
"Aeroflot PJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines (, ) (), commonly known as Aeroflot ( or ) (, English translation: ""air fleet"", ), is the flag carrier and largest airline of the Russian Federation. The carrier is an open joint stock company that operates domestic and international passenger and services, mainly from its hub at Sheremetyevo International Airport. Aeroflot is one of the oldest airlines in the world, tracing its history back to 1923. During the Soviet era, Aeroflot was the Soviet national airline and the largest airline in the world. Following the dissolution of the USSR, the carrier has been transformed from"
"92% were actually flown. In 1921 this rate increased to 96%. However the airline did not operate in the winter months. In 1919, D.L.R. was one of the founding members of International Air Traffic Association, the predecessor to today's IATA. Deutsche Luft-Reederei Deutsche Luft-Reederei (D.L.R.), was a German airline established in December 1917 which started operating in 1919. The name means ""German (Deutsche) Air (Luft) Shipping Company (Reederei)"". D.L.R. was reorganized as Aero Lloyd AG in 1923. In 1926 the German government forced the airline to merge with Junkers Luftverkehr to form Deutsche Luft Hansa, the flag carrier of the"
"largest airline conglomerate in Latin America. The airline was founded by Chilean Air Force Commodore Arturo Merino Benítez (after whom Santiago International Airport is named), and began operations on March 5, 1929 as Línea Aeropostal Santiago-Arica (English: ""Postal Air Line Santiago-Arica""), under the government of President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo. In 1932 It was rebranded as Línea Aérea Nacional de Chile (In English: ""National Air Line of Chile""), using the acronym LAN-Chile as commercial name. LAN-Chile's first fleet consisted of de Havilland Moth planes. Merino Benitez was a strong defender of Chilean carriers exclusivity on domestic routes, differing from most"
"The hijackers were usually not prosecuted there, but could claim for political asylum, along with all other passengers who wished to do so. LOT Polish Airlines LOT Polish Airlines, legally incorporated as Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT S.A. (, ""flight""), is the flag carrier of Poland. Based in Warsaw and established on 29 December 1928, it is one of the world's oldest airlines still in operation. With a fleet of 73 aircraft, LOT Polish Airlines flies to 101 destinations across Europe, Asia and North America. Most of the destinations originate from its hub at Warsaw Chopin Airport. LOT is a member"
"time, are likely to be quite substantial. History of Cubana de Aviación Cubana de Aviación S.A is Cuba's largest airline and flag carrier. Cubana was established on 8 October 1929 as ""Compañía Nacional Cubana de Aviación Curtiss"", indicating its association with the Curtiss aircraft manufacturing company. It was one of the earliest airlines to emerge in Latin America. Cubana's predecessors were the ""Compañía Aérea de Cuba"", founded in 1919, and the ""Compañía Aérea Cubana"", founded in 1920 (both airlines flew out of Havana's Columbia Airport, which started operations in 1919). Those companies were dissolved soon after they started, however, due"
"Chief Executive Officer. Hawaiian is the oldest US carrier that has never had a fatal accident or a hull loss throughout its history, and frequently tops the on-time carrier list in the United States, as well as the fewest cancellations, oversales and baggage handling issues. It has also rated as the best carrier serving Hawaii by ""Travel + Leisure"", Zagat and ""Condé Nast Traveler"". Inter-Island Airways (Hawaiian: """"), the forerunner of the airline which is now known as Hawaiian Airlines, was incorporated on January 30, 1929. Inter-Island Airways, a subsidiary of Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company, began operations on October 6,"
"History of Cubana de Aviación Cubana de Aviación S.A is Cuba's largest airline and flag carrier. Cubana was established on 8 October 1929 as ""Compañía Nacional Cubana de Aviación Curtiss"", indicating its association with the Curtiss aircraft manufacturing company. It was one of the earliest airlines to emerge in Latin America. Cubana's predecessors were the ""Compañía Aérea de Cuba"", founded in 1919, and the ""Compañía Aérea Cubana"", founded in 1920 (both airlines flew out of Havana's Columbia Airport, which started operations in 1919). Those companies were dissolved soon after they started, however, due to the difficult economic conditions affecting Cuba"
"On July 13, 2015, American announced that it planned to discontinue the US Airways brand name on October 17, 2015. On that date, US Airways made its final flight: Flight 1939 (for the year the airline was founded), using an Airbus A321 registered N152UW, and would take off as US Airways Flight 1939 and land as American Airlines Flight 1939. The flight originated from Philadelphia International Airport, at 10:05 AM, October 16, 2015 continuing to Charlotte Douglas International Airport, then to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, and then to San Francisco International Airport. The aircraft made its final leg on"
"of ""world's oldest airport"" is disputed, but College Park Airport in Maryland, US, established in 1909 by Wilbur Wright, is generally agreed to be the world's oldest continually operating airfield, although it serves only general aviation traffic. Bisbee-Douglas International Airport in Arizona was declared ""the first international airport of the Americas"" by US president Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1943. Pearson Field Airport in Vancouver, Washington, had a dirigible land in 1905 and planes in 1911 and is still in use. Hamburg Airport opened in January 1911, making it the oldest commercial airport in the world which is still in operation."
"LOT Polish Airlines LOT Polish Airlines, legally incorporated as Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT S.A. (, ""flight""), is the flag carrier of Poland. Based in Warsaw and established on 29 December 1928, it is one of the world's oldest airlines still in operation. With a fleet of 73 aircraft, LOT Polish Airlines flies to 101 destinations across Europe, Asia and North America. Most of the destinations originate from its hub at Warsaw Chopin Airport. LOT is a member of the Star Alliance. The airline was established on 29 December 1928 by the Polish government as a self-governing limited liability corporation, taking"
"Philippine Airlines Philippine Airlines (PAL), a trade name of PAL Holdings, Inc. (PSE: PAL), also known historically (until 1970) as Philippine Air Lines, is the flag carrier of the Philippines. Headquartered at the PNB Financial Center in Pasay City, the airline was founded in 1941 and is the first and oldest commercial airline in Asia operating under its original name. Out of its hubs at Ninoy Aquino International Airport of Manila, Clark International Airport of Angeles, Mactan-Cebu International Airport of Cebu, and Francisco Bangoy International Airport of Davao, Philippine Airlines serves 31 destinations in the Philippines and 41 overseas destinations"
"History of Qantas Qantas is Australia's largest airline and one of the oldest airlines in the world. Qantas has gone from two fragile biplanes carrying two passengers and a pilot, to an Airbus A380 flying 450 people around the world. Qantas was founded in Winton, Queensland on 16 November 1920 as Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited by Paul McGinness, and Hudson Fysh. Fergus McMaster joined them as Chairman, as did Arthur Baird to take care of aircraft maintenance. McGinness left QANTAS for other interests in 1922, and Hudson Fysh remained with the company as General Manager & Managing"
"oldest established airlines in Britain after Loganair. The origin of its name lies in the cognate across Norman languages for Alderney. Aurigny Air Services was founded by Sir Derrick Bailey and started operations on 1 March 1968 after British United Airways withdrew from the Alderney to Guernsey route. It initially operated Britten-Norman Islander aircraft, developing a highly efficient network linking the Channel Islands with each other and with France and the United Kingdom. During the first year of operations the airline carried 45,000 passengers between Guernsey, Jersey and Alderney. Aurigny became the first commercial operator of the Britten-Norman Trislander in"
"Compagnie générale transaérienne The Compagnie générale transaérienne (CGT: General Trans-Air Company) was a predecessor of Air France, founded in 1909. At first it operated airships in France and Switzerland, then added float planes and direct flights from Paris to London. It was the first private company to operate an airplane service. After World War I (1914–18) the company faced mounting competition, and in 1921 it was absorbed by a rival. Louis Blériot registered the statutes of the ""Compagnie Générale Trans-aérienne"" (CGT) on 10 October 1909. It was the first French airline, and the first of the companies that would eventually"
"Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano S.A.M. (abbreviated LAB and internationally known as LAB Airlines), was the flag carrier and principal airline of Bolivia from 1925 until it ceased operations in 2010. Before its demise it was headquartered in Cochabamba and had its main hubs at Jorge Wilstermann International Airport and Viru Viru International Airport. Founded in September 1925, it was the second oldest airline in South America after Avianca and one of the oldest airlines in the world. Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano was founded by Guillermo Kyllmann in Cochabamba on September 15, 1925. The name was chosen after the British"
"but this was changed to ""Transportes Aéreos del Continente Americano"" (Air Transport of the American Continent), reflecting its expansion to North, Central, South America and the Caribbean. On October 7, 2009, it was announced that TACA would merge with Avianca, though TACA maintained its name until the merger was officially completed on May 21, 2013. TACA Airlines was the second-oldest continuously operating airline brand in Central America and the Caribbean after Cubana de Aviación. The airlines that made up TACA Airlines were: The airline's hubs before Avianca merger were: TACA was founded in 1931 in Honduras by New Zealander Lowell"
"Petersburg, Florida and Tampa, Florida, passing some above Tampa Bay in Jannus' Benoist XIV wood and muslin biplane flying boat. His passenger was a former mayor of St. Petersburg, who paid $400 for the privilege of sitting on a wooden bench in the open cockpit. The Airboat line operated for about four months, carrying more than 1,200 passengers who paid $5 each. Chalk's International Airlines began service between Miami and Bimini in the Bahamas in February 1919. Based in Ft. Lauderdale, Chalk's claimed to be the oldest continuously operating airline in the United States until its closure in 2008. Following"
"Jat Airways Jat Airways (stylized as JatAirways; / ) was the national flag carrier and largest airline of Serbia, and formerly Yugoslavia. Founded in 1927 as Aeroput, the airline ceased operations during World War II. After resuming flights in 1947, the airline was renamed ""Jugoslovenski Aerotransport"" (abbreviated ""JAT"", ; ""Yugoslav Air Transport"") on 1 April 1947. The airline was renamed again on 8 August 2003. Jat Airways and their predecessors were one of the oldest airlines still in operation. Flight operations were based at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, and the airline operated scheduled services to 72 international destinations, outside the"
"Société Générale des Transports Aériens The Société Générale des Transports Aériens (SGTA) was a French airline founded in 1919. It operated until 1933 when its assets were incorporated in the newly created Air France airline. Initially known as the ""Lignes Aériennes Farman"" (Farman airlines), the SGTA was created on February 8, 1919, when a Farman F.60 Goliath flew from Toussus-le-Noble to Kenley, near Croydon. The airline was created by the Farman brothers, who also owned the Farman Aviation Works. In 1933, all SGTA assets were incorporated in the newly created Air France, and the company ceased to exist. The airline"
"in the industry in general. At present, three airlines are competing in international and major domestic routes: PAL, Cebu Pacific and PAL Express (formerly known as Air Philippines) and two airlines are serving minor and short-distance routes: Philippines AirAsia, Cebgo (formerly SEAIR and Tiger Airways) and other small airlines. Philippine Airlines Philippine Airlines (PAL), a trade name of PAL Holdings, Inc. (PSE: PAL), also known historically (until 1970) as Philippine Air Lines, is the flag carrier of the Philippines. Headquartered at the PNB Financial Center in Pasay City, the airline was founded in 1941 and is the first and oldest"
"(now all over 30 years old) have been broken up but four werestill be in service as of 2011. No.99 008 ""Anderida"" has, since 1988, been owned by Cooperative de Transport Maritime et Aerien in Canada and is the oldest survivor, dating back to 1971. She now carries the name ""C.T.M.A. Voyageur"" and retains several historic features. No.99 013 ""St. Eloi"" is now owned by Moby Lines, and is brightly painted as ""Moby Love"". No.99 012 ""Chartres"" was recently chartered by Atlanticoline, but now appears to be back at Gibraltar. No.99 005 ""Speedlink Vanguard"", the lowest-numbered (and possibly most-travelled) survivor,"
"There is a history of the airline: ""Early Birds – Air Transport Memories 1919–1924"" by Alfred Instone (published by Western Mail & Echo, Cardiff, 1938) containing a number of photographs. Instone Air Line Instone Air Line was an early British airline from 1919 to 1924. Along with other private airlines of the time, it was absorbed into Imperial Airways. S. Instone & Company Limited, a shipping company set up by Sir Samuel Instone, had operated a private air service from Cardiff via London's Hounslow Heath Aerodrome to Le Bourget aerodrome, near Paris, since 1919. From April 1920 it ran the"