The 6 Oldest Airlines still in Operation

When traveling you may be flying on one of the oldest Airlines in the World without knowing it. Here is a little bit of Aviation History on the 6 oldest Airlines still in operation.

January 1, 1914 marks the first recorded date of a fare paying passenger traveling on a scheduled airline route. The St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line started operating the first scheduled route between St. Petersburg and Tampa, Florida. Several airline companies have started, ended, or merged operations since this important date. Today there are a few that have survived the decades and are still operating under their original historical names. The names and descriptions of the six longest continuing airlines follow:

KLM (Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij) 

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines originated in October 1919. It is credited with being the longest operating airline company. KLM is the flag carrier for the Netherlands. Its first scheduled flight on May 7, 1920 flew between London Croydon Airport and Amsterdam Schiphol. Today the airline is known for its Delft Blue painted aircraft and Dutch gin filled miniature houses given as a gift in its premium classes. It aligned with Air France in 2004 to provide efficient worldwide service. 

Qantas 

Qantas launched in 1920. The name Qantas is actually short for Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services. In November 1922, the Australian flag carrier airline performed its first scheduled flight between Charleville and Cloncurry, both in Queensland, Australia. International operations started in 1935 with service between Brisbane and Singapore. Qantas today is nearly synonymous with Australia and is known for its aircraft with the kangaroo logo on their tails.

CSA Czech Airlines

CSA Czech Airlines, based in Prague, originated in 1923. The CSA stands for Czechoslovak State Airlines and the carrier is the national airline of the Czech Republic. Scheduled flights began with service between Prague and Bratislava. In 1957, Czech Airlines set a historic mark by being one of the first airlines to operate scheduled jet service. Flights between Prague and Moscow were operated with the Tupolev Tu-104. Today the airline is simply known as Czech Airlines and primarily serves Europe. 

Lufthansa 

Lufthansa established scheduled service in 1926 operating from Berlin Tempelhof Airport to Zurich. The airline continued sporadic operations through the World War II years and reestablished itself as a modern scheduled airline in 1951. Today Lufthansa, the flag carrier of Germany, is one of the world’s largest airlines with service to many destinations on six continents. It is part of the Lufthansa Group which also includes Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, and Swiss International Airlines. 

Iberia 

Iberia formed and incorporated on June 28, 1927. Its first scheduled service was a route between Madrid and Barcelona. In 1946 Iberia was the first airline to fly between Europe and South America. The trip was accomplished with a Douglas DC-4 flying from Madrid to Buenos Aires. Today it provides worldwide service from Spain and is a major part of the International Airlines Group (IAG). IAG includes Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, and Vueling. 

Delta  

Delta Air Lines established schedule passenger services in 1929. Previously, it was a crop dusting venture based in the Southeast region of the U. S. The first scheduled route was between Dallas, Texas and Jackson, Mississippi. Its primary focus was service within the United States. In the 1980’s it expanded to serve destinations in Europe. A main push into service in the Asian market occurred in 2008 with the merger with Northwest Airlines. Delta is one of the largest