Airline
|
Established
|
Ceased operations
|
Country
|
Notes
|
DELAG
|
November 16, 1909
|
March 21, 1935
|
German Empire
/
Weimar Republic
|
The world's first airline in revenue service. Operated
Zeppelin
airships. Merged with
Deutsche Zeppelin Reederei
(DZR) in 1935, which continued transatlantic flights until the
Hindenburg disaster
in 1937. Company dissolved in 1940 and re-established in 2001.
|
Aero Rt.
|
December 22, 1910
|
1920
|
Hungary
|
Merged with Magyar Aeroforgalmi Rt (MAEFORT) which in turn, merged with
Magyar Legiforgalmi R.T.
(MALERT) to form
Maszovlet
. Later
Hungary
acquired all the
Soviet
shares of Maszovlet and renamed it to
Malev Hungarian Airlines
.
|
St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line
|
1913
|
May 5, 1914
|
United States
|
First winged airline. See Thomas Reilly, Jannus: An American Flyer
|
Aircraft Transport and Travel
|
October 5, 1916
|
February 20, 1921
|
United Kingdom
|
Services started 25 August 1919; first scheduled daily international commercial air service, London to Paris. A subsidiary of
Airco
, its assets were used to create
Daimler Airway
. Despite numerous takeovers and mergers,
British Airways
can trace part of its legacy back to Aircraft Transport and Travel.
|
Chalk's Ocean Airways
|
1917
|
2007
|
United States
|
Started scheduled service between Florida and the Bahamas in February 1919; Became
Chalk's International Airlines
.
|
Deutsche Luft-Reederei
|
December 1917
|
1923
|
German Empire
/
Weimar Republic
|
Services started February 5, 1919. Became part of Deutscher Aero Lloyd in 1923, merged into
Deutsche Luft Hansa
in 1926. Founding member of
International Air Traffic Association
in 1919.
|
Det Norske Luftfartsrederi
|
1918
|
1921
|
Norway
|
Founding member of IATA
|
Det Danske Luftfartselskab
|
October 29, 1918
|
1951
|
Denmark
|
Services started August 7, 1920. Part of
SAS
since 1946.
|
Societe des lignes Latecoere
|
December 25, 1918
|
September 19, 1933
|
France
|
Services started December 25, 1918; rebranded as
Aeropostale
in 1927; its assets were incorporated into
Air France
in 1933
|
Svensk Lufttrafik
|
February 7, 1919
|
1921
|
Sweden
|
Services started 7 August 1920
|
Lignes Aeriennes Farman
|
February 8, 1919
|
October 7, 1933
|
France
|
Merged with 4 other airlines to form
Air France
.
|
Societe Generale des Transports Aeriens
|
February 8, 1919
|
October 8, 1933
|
France
|
Merged with 4 other airlines to form Air France.
|
Grands Express Aeriens
|
March 20, 1919
|
January 1, 1923
|
France
|
Merged with
Compagnie des Messageries Aeriennes
to form
Air Union
.
|
SNETA
|
March 31, 1919
|
May 23, 1923
|
Belgium
|
Merged into
Sabena
.
|
Compagnie des Messageries Aeriennes
|
April 18, 1919
|
January 1, 1923
|
France
|
Merged with
Grands Express Aeriens
to form
Air Union
.
|
Daimler Airway
|
June 7, 1919
|
April 1, 1924
|
United Kingdom
|
Merged with 3 other airlines to form
Imperial Airways
.
|
CCNA (
Compania Colombiana de Navegacion Aerea
)
|
September 26, 1919
[1]
|
July 17, 1922
|
Colombia
|
First airline in Colombia with mail contract with Colombian Government.
|
KLM
|
October 7, 1919
|
Still in operation
|
Netherlands
|
During World War II, KLM stopped operating in Europe, but continued in the
West Indies
as Dutch Caribbean colonies were not occupied by Nazi Germany.
[2]
[3]
Merged with
Air France
in 2004 to form
Air France?KLM
. The airline is the "
Oldest operating airline
".
|
SCADTA
Avianca
|
December 5, 1919
|
June 14, 1940
Still in operation
|
Colombia
|
American
concern during
World War II
over the German shares of the airline (as it was founded by
Germans
and
Colombians
), forced SCADTA to merge in 1940 with the smaller state-owned
SACO
to form
Avianca
[a]
? making it thereby the
de facto
"
Second oldest airline by
foundation date
", though the claim remains contentious.
[b]
|
Handley Page Transport
|
1919
|
March 31, 1924
|
United Kingdom
|
Merged with 3 other airlines to form
Imperial Airways
.
|
Handley Page Indo-Burmese transport
|
1919
[4]
|
1921
[c]
|
India
|
First airline in India (then under British rule).
|
Instone Air Line
|
1919
|
March 31, 1924
|
United Kingdom
|
Merged with 3 other airlines to form
Imperial Airways
.
|
A/S Aero
|
January 1920
|
1921
|
Norway
|
Merged with Norske Aeroplanfabrik
|
CFRNA
|
January 20, 1920
|
October 7, 1933
|
France
/
Kingdom of Romania
|
Renamed CIDNA in 1925; the French arm was merged with 4 other airlines to form
Air France
; the Romanian arm was renamed LARES.
|
Qantas
|
November 16, 1920
|
Still in operation
|
Australia
|
During World War II, most aircraft were used by the
RAAF
, however limited operations continued within Australia, to/from Singapore and on the Australia-England route.
[5]
The airline is the "
Third oldest airline by
foundation date
", "
Second oldest
continuously-operating
[d]
" (after KLM) and the "
Oldest airline in the English-speaking world
".
|
Aeronaut
|
March 22, 1921
|
January 11, 1927
|
Estonia
|
Operated the routes:
Tallinn
-
Helsinki
,
Tallinn
-
Stockholm
,
Tallinn
-
Riga
-
Konigsberg
and
Tallinn
-
Tartu
-
Viljandi
-
Parnu
. Stopped operations in 1927 due to financial problems.
|
Aerotarg
|
May 10, 1921
|
June 19, 1921
|
Poland
|
Operated only on the route between
Pozna?
?
Warsaw
and Pozna??
Gda?sk
, mainly in order to serve participants and visitors of the first
Pozna? International Fair
.
|
Mexicana de Aviacion
|
July 12, 1921
|
August 28, 2010
|
Mexico
|
Suspended operations indefinitely. MRO still operational.
|
Deruluft
|
November 24, 1921
|
March 31, 1937
|
Weimar Republic
/
Soviet Union
|
Joint German-Soviet airline.
|
West Australian Airways
|
December 5, 1921
|
June 12, 1936
|
Australia
|
Became part of
Australian National Airways
.
|
Aeromarine West Indies Airways
|
1921
|
1924
|
United States
|
Services started 1 November 1920; first U.S. international air service
|
Junkers Luftverkehr
|
1921
|
1926
|
Weimar Republic
|
A division of the aircraft manufacturer
Junkers
; became a separate company in 1924; merged into
Deutsche Luft Hansa
in 1926; joint-ventures with airlines in Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland
|
Beijing-Han Airlines
|
March 29, 1922
|
March 31, 1922
|
China
|
Founded by warlord
Cao Kun
with a single
Handley Page
aircraft, likely a modified
HP O/400
; fatally crashed in Beijing 3 days later.
[6]
|
Aerolloyd
|
June 3, 1922
|
December 28, 1929
|
Poland
|
Name changed to Aerolot in 1925; merged with other privately owned airlines in
Poland
formed
LOT Polish Airlines
.
[7]
|
Latvijas gaisa satiksme AS
|
July 31, 1922
|
1928
|
Latvia
|
Operated in 1923-1926. With hub in
Spilve airport
,
Riga
it served
Tallinn
-Riga-
Kaunas
(for some time-
Klaip?da
)-
Koenigsberg
route in cooperation with
Junkers Luftverkehr AG
and
Aeronaut
. Went bankrupt in 1926, liquidated in 1928.
|
Malert
|
November 19, 1922
|
1944
|
Hungary
|
Fore-runner of Malev Hungarian Airlines.
|
Air Union
|
January 1, 1923
|
October 7, 1933
|
France
|
Merged with 4 other airlines to form
Air France
.
|
Aeroflot
|
February 3, 1923
|
Still in operation
|
Soviet Union
/
Russia
|
Founded as Dobrolyot, name changed to Aeroflot in 1932.
|
SABENA
|
May 23, 1923
|
February 2002
|
Belgium
|
Succeeded by
SN Brussels Airlines
, which became
Brussels Airlines
. MRO still operational.
|
British Marine Air Navigation Co Ltd
|
August 1923
|
March 31, 1924
|
United Kingdom
|
Merged with 3 other airlines to form
Imperial Airways
.
|
Czech Airlines
|
October 6, 1923
|
Still in operation
|
Czechoslovakia
|
Founded as Czechoslovak State Airlines, name changed to Czech Airlines in 1995.
|
Finnair
|
November 1, 1923
|
Still in operation
|
Finland
|
Founded as Aero
O/Y
, name changed to Finnair in 1968.
|
Florida Airways
|
1923
|
1927
|
United States
|
|
Ukrpovitroshliakh
|
June 1, 1923
|
1929
|
Soviet Union
|
Merged with Zakavia and Deruluft to form Dobrolyot, forerunner of Aeroflot.
|
Zakavia
|
1923
|
1929
|
Soviet Union
|
Merged with Ukrvozdukhput and Deruluft to form Dobrolyot, forerunner of Aeroflot.
|
Condor Syndikat
|
May 5, 1924
|
July 1, 1927
|
Weimar Republic
/
Brazil
|
German-based Brazilian airline; absorbed into Deutsche Luft Hansa
|
AB Aerotransport
|
June 2, 1924
|
October 1, 1950
|
Sweden
|
Formed SAS.
|
Tajik Air
|
September 3, 1924
|
Still in operation
|
Soviet Union
/
Tajikistan
|
Founded as a division of
Aeroflot
in
Tajik ASSR
, became independent in 1991.
|
Imperial Airways
|
March 31, 1924
|
November 24, 1939
|
United Kingdom
|
Amalgamated to form
British Overseas Airways Corporation
- itself merged to found
British Airways
.
|
Slov-Air
|
1924
|
2001
|
Czechoslovakia
/
Slovakia
|
Founded as a department of
Bata Shoes
; name changed to Svitlet in 1948, to Agrolet in 1950 (became part of CSA, became independent in 1955), and to Slov-Air in 1969.
|
Aero
|
February 1925
|
December 28, 1929
|
Poland
|
Merged with
Aerolot
formed
LOT Polish Airlines
.
|
Ryan Airline Company
|
April 19, 1925
|
1926
|
United States
|
Name changed to B. F. Mahoney Aircraft Corporation.
|
Delta Air Lines
|
March 2, 1925
|
Still in operation
|
United States
|
Founded as
Huff Daland Dusters
for
crop dusting
, renamed 'Delta Air Service' in 1928, operated scheduled services from 1928 to 1930 and since 1934.
|
National Air Transport
|
May 21, 1925
|
1934
|
United States
|
Became part of United Airlines following Air Mail Act of 1934.
|
Lloyd Aereo Boliviano
|
September 15, 1925
|
2010
|
Bolivia
|
Former flag carrier of Bolivia; replaced by
Boliviana de Aviacion
.
|
Union Aerea Espanola
|
1925
|
1929
|
Spain
|
Merged with Concesionaria de Lineas Aereas Subvencionadas following
Wall Street Crash of 1929
.
|
Ford Air Transport Service
|
1925
|
1932
|
United States
|
The world's first regularly-scheduled commercial cargo airline.
|
Societa Anonima Navigazione Aerea
|
1925
|
1934
|
Kingdom of Italy
|
Merged with 3 other airlines to form
Ala Littoria
.
|
Western Airlines
|
1925
|
April 1, 1987
|
United States
|
Founded as Western Air Express; merged with
Transcontinental Air Transport
to form
Transcontinental & Western Air
in 1930; severed from T & WA again in 1934; named changed to General Air Lines and back to Western Air Express in 1934, and to Western Airlines in 1941; merged with
Delta Air Lines
in 1987.
|
Pacific Air Transport
|
January 1926
|
December 17, 1928
|
United States
|
Merged into Boeing Air Transport, but continued to operate as a separate division until 1934.
|
Deutsche Luft Hansa
|
January 6, 1926
|
April 22, 1945
|
Weimar Republic
/
Nazi Germany
|
Name styles as Deutsche Lufthansa from 1933. Operations suspended following the German defeat in
World War II
. There is no legal connection to
Lufthansa
, which was founded in 1953.
|
Western Canadian Airways
|
March 1926
|
1930
|
Canada
|
Amalgamated with several Eastern Canadian carriers forming
Canadian Airways
.
|
Varney Air Lines
|
April 6, 1926
|
May 1934
|
United States
|
Merged with 3 other airlines to form
United Airlines
following the
Air Mail scandal
in 1933 and the Air Mail Act of 1934. In 1934 Varney Speed Lines was established becoming
Continental Airlines
in 1936 when
Robert Six
took over control.
|
American Airlines
|
April 15, 1926
|
Still in operation
|
United States
|
|
Eastern Air Lines
|
April 19, 1926
|
January 17, 1991
|
United States
|
Started Operations in 1926 as Pitcairn Aviation. Until 1930 changed to "Eastern Air Transport" then Eastern Air Lines until 1991. Re-established in 2015 until 2017.
|
Northwest Airlines
|
September 10, 1926
|
January 31, 2010
|
United States
|
Merged with
Delta Air Lines
.
|
Colonial Air Transport
|
1926
|
1930
|
United States
|
Formed
American Airlines
.
|
Pan American World Airways
|
March 14, 1927
|
December 4, 1991
|
United States
|
Founded by
Juan T. Trippe
and began operations in 1927 as Pan American Airways (PAA). Former
de facto
flag carrier of United States.
[8]
Bankrupted in 1991 due to: high fuel prices because of the
first Gulf War
and
1973 oil crisis
; a series of hijackings; no US network until the 1980s; the
Lockerbie bombing
of flight 103.
|
Varig
|
May 7, 1927
|
July 20, 2006
|
Brazil
|
New airline formed with the same name in 2006 and eventually sold to
Gol Transportes Aereos
.
|
Air Serbia
|
June 17, 1927
|
Still in operation
|
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
/
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
/
Serbia and Montenegro
/
Serbia
|
Formed as
Aeroput
in 1927, then re-formed as
JAT - Jugoslovenski aerotransport
in 1947, rebranded as
Jat Airways
in 2003, and then as
Air Serbia
in 2013.
|
Iberia
|
June 28, 1927
|
Still in operation
|
Spain
|
Merged with British Airways to form
International Airlines Group (IAG)
in January 2011.
|
Maddux Air Lines
|
September 22, 1927
|
November 16, 1929
|
United States
|
Merged with TAT to form TAT-Maddux Air Lines, itself merged to form T & WA.
|
Bunavad
|
October 25, 1927
|
1930
|
Kingdom of Bulgaria
|
First national airline of Bulgaria.
|
Cruzeiro do Sul
|
December 1, 1927
|
January 1, 1993
|
Brazil
|
Founded as
Syndicato Condor
; name changed to Cruzeiro do Sul in 1943; merged with
Varig
in 1993.
|
Grand Canyon Airlines
|
1927
|
Still in operation
|
United States
|
Founded as Scenic Airways; name changed to Grand Canyon Airlines in 1930.
|
Standard Air Lines
|
1927
|
March 1930
|
United States
|
Sold off to Western Air Express, itself merged to form T & WA.
|
National Parks Airways
|
1927
|
1937
|
United States
|
Bought out by Western Air Express.
|
Wien Air Alaska
|
1927
|
November 23, 1984
|
United States
|
First airline in Alaska.
|
MacRobertson Miller Airlines
|
1927
|
1993
|
Australia
|
Absorbed into Ansett.
|
Paul R. Braniff, Inc.
|
May 29, 1928
|
March 1929
|
United States
|
First Braniff brothers airline entity that operated scheduled service between Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Forerunner of
Braniff Airways
and then became Braniff Air Lines, Inc., and later Braniff Airways, Inc. in November 1930.
|
KNILM
|
July 16, 1928
|
August 1, 1947
|
Dutch East Indies
/
Indonesia
|
First operated as KNILM. KNILM dissolved and transferred to
KLM Interinsulair Bedrijf
(today Garuda Indonesia)
|
Universal Air Lines
|
July 30, 1928
|
1934
|
United States
|
Merged with other companies to form American Airlines.
|
ETA
|
August 10, 1928
|
November 16, 1929
|
Brazil
|
Ceased operations due to administrative difficulties.
|
British Columbia Airways
|
August 16, 1928
|
August 25, 1928
|
Canada
British Columbia Airways
|
Had a single
Ford 4-AT Trimotor
which crashed.
[9]
|
Faucett Peru
|
September 15, 1928
|
December 3, 1997
|
Peru
|
|
Japan Air Transport
|
October 28, 1928
|
1938
|
Empire of Japan
|
Merged into
Imperial Japanese Airways
.
|
Mid-Continent Airlines
|
1928
|
August 26, 1952
|
United States
|
Founded as Hanford's Tri-State Airlines; name changed to Mid-Continent Airlines in 1938; merged into
Braniff International Airways
in 1952.
|
Transcontinental Air Transport
|
1928
|
1930
|
United States
|
Merged with
Western Air Express
to form Transcontinental & Western Air (T & WA) in 1930; renamed
Trans World Airlines
(TWA) in 1950; merged into
American Airlines
in 2001.
|
LOT Polish Airlines
|
December 29, 1928
|
Still in operation
|
Poland
|
Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT created by the Polish government they have absorbed airlines
Aerolot
(1922) and
Aero
(1925).
|
Hawaiian Airlines
|
January 30, 1929
|
Still in operation
|
United States
|
Incorporated January 30, 1929 as Inter-Island Airways. Began service October 6, 1929. Name changed to Hawaiian Airlines October 1, 1941.
|
LATAM Chile
|
March 5, 1929
|
Still in operation
|
Chile
|
Began as Linea Aeropostal Santiago-Arica. It took the name Linea Aerea Nacional de Chile (LAN Chile) in 1932. In September 1989, the Chilean government privatized the carrier. LAN Chile became LAN Airlines in 2004 but in 2010, LAN merged with TAM Airlines and became LATAM Airlines. LAN Airlines still operates under the name LATAM Chile as a subsidiary of LATAM Airlines Group.
|
Concesionaria de Lineas Aereas Subvencionadas
|
May 13, 1929
|
July 18, 1936
|
Spain
|
Ceased operations due to the
Spanish Civil War
.
|
Aeropostal
|
July 3, 1929
|
Still in operation
|
Venezuela
|
Founded as
Linea Aeropostal Venezolana
LAV, name changed to
Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela
in 1997 after privatization.
|
Pan American-Grace Airways
|
September 13, 1929
|
February 1, 1969
|
United States
|
Joint venture between Pan Am and Grace Shipping Company; merged into Braniff in 1969.
|
Cubana de Aviacion
|
October 8, 1929
|
Still in operation
|
Cuba
|
|
Panair do Brasil
|
October 22, 1929
|
February 16, 1965
|
Brazil
|
Founded as
Nyrba do Brasil
. Name changed to Panair do Brasil in 1930. Bankruptcy forced by the Brazilian Militar Dictatorship Government.
|
Wiggins Airways
|
1929
|
Still in operation
(?)
|
United States
|
[
needs update?
]
|
Union Airways
|
July 24, 1929
|
January 31, 1934
|
Union of South Africa
|
First South African airline; taken over by the government and renamed
South African Airways
.
|
Australian National Airways
|
1929
|
1931
|
Australia
|
|
Trans World Airlines
|
July 16, 1930
|
December 1, 2001
|
United States
|
Acquired by
American Airlines
.
|
Aviaarktika
|
September 1, 1930
|
January 3, 1960
|
Soviet Union
|
Absorbed into
Aeroflot
.
|
Braniff International Airways
|
November 13, 1930
|
May 12
/
May 13, 1982
|
United States
|
|
New England & Western Air Transportation Co.
|
1930
|
1930
|
United States
|
|
South West African Airways
|
1930
|
1935
|
South West Africa
|
First commercial air service in
South West Africa
(
Namibia
)
|