While today's aviation sector is one of considerable modernity, we would be nowhere without the decades of history that have elapsed to get us to this point, and the various social and technological advances that they have brought. As it happens, some airlines around the world that are still active today have been around long enough to witness these changes for themselves. In this article, we will take a closer look at the life and times of the oldest airlines around the world today that operate under their original names.
While, in some instances, there are older carriers out there (avianca, for example, traces its roots back to 1919, but has only operated under its current name since 1940 following a merger), our focus will be on those whose identity has remained constant. 1 KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Netherlands) Founded in October 1919 The oldest of these is Dutch flag carrier and SkyTeam member KLM , which was founded 105 years ago on October 7th, 1919. According to the airline's website , eight investors from the business and banking world helped get the company, known in full at the time as K oninklijke L uchtvaart M aatschappij voor Nederland en Koloniën ('Royal Dutch Airlines for the Netherlands and Colonies') off the ground.
Love aviation history ? Discover more of our stories here! It would be less than a year later that the newly formed Dutch flag carrier operated its first flight, which took place on May 17th, 1920. The airline notes that the aircraft involved w.
