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Since the Wright brothers took to the skies on their historic first flight in 1903, air transport has ushered in a new era for both people and goods. Throughout its more than a century of history, the industry has become famous for its volatility – RIP, Pan Am, Eastern, Braniff Airlines, and countless others.
Below are 10 of the oldest airlines in the world that are still operating today.
1. Iberia
Iberia is the flag airport of Spain, established in June 1927 to provide an air link from the Spanish mainland to the Canary Islands and North Africa. The first flights took place on Rohrbach Roland aircraft, which could only accommodate two crew members and ten passengers.
In 1946, the company launched its first route between Europe and South America. Initially a government-owned company, Iberia was privatized in 2001 and joined the IAG Group in 2011, which includes airlines such as British Airways and Aer Lingus.
As of 2022, Iberia has a fleet of 140 aircraft connecting to 135 cities across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
2. Air Serbia
The history of Air Serbia begins in the same month of June as Iberia with the founding of Aeroput. The company's first regular route was between Belgrade and Zagreb, which at the time was located within the Kingdom of Serbs, Croatians, and Slovenes (later known as Yugoslavia).
Aeroput ceased operations during World War II, but the company resumed operations in 1947 as Yugoslav Airlines. In 2003, the name was changed again to Jat Airways, and after investment from the Middle Eastern airline Etihad Airways, it finally changed to Air Serbia in 2013.
With its main hub in Belgrade, the airline had a fleet of 18 aircraft as of 2022 and served more than 60 destinations in Europe, North America, and the Middle East.
3. American Airlines
American Airlines' journey began in April 1926, when renowned pilot Charles Lindbergh flew a postal service route between St. Louis, Missouri, and Chicago, Illinois. After eight years of operating solely on this service, the airline introduced its service to passengers in 1934.
In 1936, American Airlines was the first airline to fly the revolutionary Douglas DC-3 aircraft, operating a service from New York to Chicago. Americans also pioneered the first non-stop transcontinental jet flight across the United States in 1959 on a Boeing 707.
Other groundbreaking events in the airline's history include the establishment of the world's first flight attendant training facility in 1957. In 2013, American merged with US Airways to become the world's largest airline in terms of both fleet size and passengers carried.
American Airlines now flies to 350 destinations in 50 countries with a fleet of over 900 aircraft.
4. Delta Airlines
Delta's history began in 1925 with the founding of Huff Daland Dusters, an aerial crop dusting company based in Macon, Georgia. Passenger service began in 1929 with a flight from Dallas, Texas, to Jackson, Mississippi. It became Delta Air Lines in 1945, and a year later the airline launched its first direct flight between Chicago and Miami on a Douglas DC-4.
Through a series of mergers—including with Indochina Airlines in 1972, Western Airlines in 1987, and Northwest Airlines in 2008—Delta has grown into one of the world's largest airlines.
Today, the airline transports 200 million passengers annually to more than 275 destinations across six continents. Aviation enthusiasts can delve deeper into its history and view restored vintage aircraft at the Delta Flight Museum at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.
5. Finnair
Finnair is Finland's leading and largest airline, having begun operations in 1923 as Aero, a company that transported mail from Helsinki to Tallinn, Estonia.
For its first 12 years of operation, Aero used Junkers aircraft equipped with floats for landing on water. After a brief interruption during World War II, the Finnish government took control of Aero and introduced longer-haul routes in Europe.
A major expansion occurred in 1952, when the Helsinki Olympics led to an increase in passenger numbers to over 100,000 annually. The name Finnair first appeared in marketing materials in 1953, but it wasn't officially changed to the name until 1968.
In 1983, the airline became the first European airline to offer direct flights from Western Europe to Japan, with service from Helsinki to Tokyo. Today, Finnair has 80 aircraft and serves over 100 destinations in Europe, Asia, and North America.
6. Czech Airlines
Founded in October 1923, the Czech airline was initially called the Czechoslovak State Airlines (CSA). Its first domestic flight was from Prague to Bratislava.
The first international flights began in the 1930s and connected passengers to Bucharest, Budapest, Brussels, and Paris, among other major European cities. A major expansion occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, with destinations in Africa, Asia, Indonesia, and the Middle East added to the network.
Like many airlines in the East, Czech Airlines was restructured and rebranded in the 1990s. This included changing its name to its current name and switching from Russian-made aircraft to Boeing and later Airbus planes. It is the fifth oldest airline in the world, with destinations typically in Europe and North Africa.
7. Aeroflot
A Junkers F-13 aircraft takes off from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod in March 1923. Initially called Dobrolet, the airline adopted the name Aeroflot, meaning "aircraft fleet," in 1932.
Mail and cargo were a major focus throughout the 1930s, with Aeroflot transporting more cargo than any other airline in the United States. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the airline was split into several regional carriers. However, a merger in 2011 reorganized the airlines under the Aeroflot brand.
8. Qantas
Queensland and Northern Territory Air Services, or Qantas for short, was established in Australia in November 1920. The airline's first flights helped connect people and goods with the far northern regions of the country. Scheduled mail and passenger services began in 1922, and the first passenger was an 84-year-old pioneer from the Australian outback named Alexander Kennedy.
International routes were introduced in the 1930s, first to Singapore and later to the United Kingdom via a connecting service. Nicknamed the “Flying Kangaroo,” Qantas launched direct flights from Australia to the United States in 1984 on Boeing 747SP aircraft.
In 2022, Qantas announced plans to launch the world's longest non-stop flights from Melbourne and Sydney to New York and London.
9. Avianca
The world's second oldest airline still operating today is Avianca, a Colombian airline. Founded in December 1919 as Sociedad Colombia Alemana de Transportes Aéreos (SCADTA), it had a fleet of 25 aircraft in its first decade, connecting its base in Barranquilla to Bogota, Girardot, Puerto Berrío, and Neiva.
International flights began in 1940 to Lima, Miami, Panama, Quito, and several European cities. At the same time, SCADTA merged with Colombian Air Services and became Aerovías Nacionales de Colombia SA, or Avianca.
This was the first Latin American airline to operate Boeing 747 jumbo jets in 1976. Avianca is now the flagship airline of the Avianca Group, a network of 10 Latin American airlines established in 2010.
10. KLM
Founded in the Netherlands just two months before Avianca, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (officially Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij NV, also known as Royal Aviation Company) is the oldest continuously operating airline in the world.
The first flight operated by KLM was from London to Amsterdam in May 1920. On board were the pilot, two journalists, and a letter from the mayor of London to the mayor of Amsterdam.
Four years later, KLM launched its longest flight route from Amsterdam to Jakarta. Another breakthrough occurred in 1946 with the first scheduled flights from Europe to New York. KLM merged with Air France in 2004, although both continued to operate separately and build their own brands.
