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10 Oldest Airlines In The World
10 Oldest Airlines In The World
The first scheduled passenger airline service began in the U.S. on 1 January 1914. The St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line only lasted 4 months. However, its operations opened the doors for commercial flights.
Following the first commercial flight, a good number of airlines emerged. Some of these airlines have become the world’s oldest airlines. They were established in the 1920s and 1930s in a variety of countries across the world.
Although some of these airlines have closed, there are a few still surviving that have more than 90 years of flying history.
In this article, we are highlighting the 10 oldest airlines in the world.
1. KLM
Founding Year: 1919
First flight: May 1920
Country of Origin/Headquarters: Hague, Netherlands
Notable Achievement: In 1946, it became the first European airline to begin scheduled flights to New York, using DC-4 aircraft; KLM Royal Dutch Airlines turned 100 years old in October 2019.
2. Avianca
Founding Year: 1919
First flight: 1919
Country of Origin/Headquarters: Bogotá, Colombia
Notable Achievement: Avianca is one of the largest airline groups in Latin America, with a fleet of 173 aircraft and a network of subsidiaries that spans pretty much the whole continent.
3. Qantas
Founding Year: 1920
First flight: 1920
Notable Achievement: Australia largest airline and one of its best-known brands globally.
Country of Origin/Headquarters: Sydney, Australia
4. Aeroflot
Founding Year: 1923
First flight: July 1923
Notable Achievement: Aeroflot was the largest airline in the world during the Soviet era.
Country of Origin/Headquarters: Soviet Union/Moscow, Russia.
5. Czech Airlines (CSA)
Founding Year: 1923
First flight: October 1923
Country of Origin/Headquarters: Czechoslovakia/ Prague, Czech Republic.
Notable Achievement: In 1957, CSA became the third airline, after BOAC and Aeroflot, to operate jet airliners when it put the Soviet-made Tupolev Tu104A into service.
6. Finnair
Founding Year: 1923
First flight: March 1924
Country of Origin/Headquarters: Helsinki, Finland.
Notable Achievement: In 1983, it became the first European airline to fly non-stop to Tokyo, with DC-10 aircraft. Five years later, Finnair was the only European airline with a direct flight between Europe and China
7. Delta Air Lines
Year of foundation: 1925
First flight: 1929
Country of Origin/Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia, United State.
Notable Achievement: Delta is one of the world’s largest airlines in terms of scheduled passengers. It is the oldest airline still operating in the US.
8. Air Serbia
Founding Year: 1927
First flight: 1927
Country of Origin/Headquarters: Yugoslavia/ Serbia
Notable Achievement: Air Serbia is jointly owned by the Government of Serbia
Iberia
Founding Year: 1927
First flight: 1927
Country of Origin/Headquarters: Madrid, Spain
Notable Achievement: In 1946, it was the first airline to fly between Europe and South America, a region that has remained at the core of Iberia’s long haul business throughout its history. The airline was privatized in 2001 and it merged with British Airways in 2010 to create the International Airlines Group.
10. British Airways
Founding Year: 1919 (or 1974)
First flight: August 1919 (or 1974)
Country of Origin/Headquarters: London, England, UK
Notable Achievement: on August 25, 1919, British Airways became the world’s first scheduled international flight. It flew between London and Paris and took off with one passenger, plus some Devonshire cream and some grouse. It is the second-largest airline in the United Kingdom, based on fleet size and passengers carried, behind easyJet.
BA was created in 1974 after a British Airways Board was established by the British government to manage the two nationalised airline corporations, British Overseas Airways Corporation and British European Airways, and two regional airlines, Cambrian Airways and Northeast Airlines. On 31 March 1974, all four companies were merged to form British Airways.
