Since the Wright brothers took to the skies on their historic first flight in 1903, air travel has ushered in a new era of people and cargo transportation. Over its century-plus history, the industry has been known for its volatility – RIP, Pan Am, Eastern, Braniff Airlines and countless others.
Here are the 10 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 mainland to the Canary Islands and North Africa. The first flights were on Rohrbach Roland aircraft, which could accommodate only two crew members and 10 passengers.
In 1946, the company launched its first service between Europe and South America. Originally a government-owned company, Iberia was privatised 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 began in the same June as Iberia with the founding of Aeroput. The company's first regular route was between Belgrade and Zagreb, which at the time was part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats 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 changed again to Jat Airways and, after investment from Middle Eastern airline Etihad Airways, finally changed to Air Serbia in 2013.
With its main hub in Belgrade, the airline has a fleet of 18 aircraft as of 2022 and flies to more than 60 destinations in Europe, North America and the Middle East.
3. American Airlines
American Airlines' journey began in April 1926, when famed aviator Charles Lindbergh flew a postal service route between St. Louis, Missouri, and Chicago, Illinois. After eight years of operating this route exclusively, the airline introduced passenger service in 1934.
In 1936, American Airlines was the first airline to fly the revolutionary Douglas DC-3, flying from New York to Chicago. American also pioneered the first nonstop transcontinental jet airliner, flying across the United States in 1959 on a Boeing 707.
Other groundbreaking events in the airline's history include the creation 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 now flies to 350 destinations in 50 countries with a fleet of more than 900 aircraft.
4. Delta Airlines
Delta's history dates back to 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 nonstop flight between Chicago and Miami on a Douglas DC-4.
Through several mergers—including with Indochina Airlines in 1972, Western Airlines in 1987, and Northwest Airlines in 2008—Delta has grown to become one of the largest airlines in the world.
Today, the airline carries 200 million passengers a year to more than 275 destinations on six continents. Aviation enthusiasts can delve deeper into its history and see restored vintage aircraft at the Delta Flight Museum at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.
5. Finnair
Finnair is the flagship and largest airline of Finland which started operations in 1923 as Aero, a mail carrier from Helsinki to Tallinn, Estonia.
For the first 12 years of operation, Aero used Junkers aircraft fitted with floats for water landings. After a hiatus during World War II, the Finnish government took control of Aero and introduced longer 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 Finnair name first appeared in marketing materials in 1953, but it wasn't until 1968 that the name was officially changed.
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 a fleet of 80 aircraft and flies to more than 100 destinations in Europe, Asia and North America.
6. Czech Airlines
Founded in October 1923, the Czech airline was originally called Czechoslovak State Airlines (CSA). The airline's first domestic flight was from Prague to Bratislava.
The first international flights began in the 1930s, connecting passengers to Bucharest, Budapest, Brussels and Paris among other major European cities. Major expansion occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, with destinations in Africa, Asia, Indonesia and the Middle East added to the network.
Like many Eastern European airlines, Czech Airlines underwent restructuring and rebranding in the 1990s. This included changing its current name and switching from Russian-built aircraft to Boeing and later Airbus. It is the world’s fifth-oldest airline, with destinations mostly in Europe and North Africa.
7. Aeroflot
A Junkers F 13 aircraft takes off from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod in March 1923. Originally called Dobrolet, the airline adopted the name Aeroflot, meaning “aircraft fleet,” in 1932.
Mail and cargo were the main focus throughout the 1930s, with Aeroflot carrying more cargo than any other airline in the United States. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the airline was divided 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, was established in Australia in November 1920. Its first flights helped connect people and goods to the country’s remote northern regions. Regular scheduled mail and passenger services began in 1922, and the first passenger was an 84-year-old Australian outback pioneer named Alexander Kennedy.
Overseas flights were introduced in the 1930s, first to Singapore and then to the UK via a connecting service. Nicknamed the “Flying Kangaroo”, Qantas launched direct flights from Australia to the US in 1984 on Boeing 747SPs.
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 in operation today is Colombia’s Avianca. Founded in December 1919 as Sociedad Colombia Alemana de Transportes Aéreos (SCADTA), the airline operated a fleet of 25 aircraft during its first decade flying from 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.
It was the first Latin American airline to use the Boeing 747 jumbo jet in 1976. Avianca is now the flagship airline of the Avianca Group, a network of 10 Latin American airlines founded in 2010.
10. KLM
Founded in the Netherlands just two months before Avianca, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (officially Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij NV or also known as Royal Aviation Company) is the oldest surviving 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 from Amsterdam to Jakarta. Another breakthrough came in 1946 with the first scheduled flights from Europe to New York. KLM merged with Air France in 2004, although both airlines maintained separate operations and branding.
