List of airlines by foundation date

This is a list of airlines by foundation date, founded by December 31, 1929. For airlines founded after 1929 see Category: Airlines by year of establishment.

The date of the first airline service may differ from the foundation date. Bold names indicate that the airline is still in operation.

Airline	Established	Ceased operations	Notes
DELAG	000000001909-11-16-0000November 16, 1909	000000001935-03-21-0000March 21, 1935	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.
Aero Rt.	000000001910-12-22-0000December 22, 1910	000000001920-01-01-00001920	Merged with Magyar Aeroforgalmi Rt (MAEFORT)
St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line	000000001913-01-01-00001913	000000001914-01-01-00001914	First winged airline. See Thomas Reilly, Jannus: An American Flyer
Aircraft Transport and Travel	000000001916-10-05-0000October 5, 1916	000000001921-01-01-00001921	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
Chalk's Ocean Airways	000000001917-01-01-00001917	000000002007-01-01-00002007	Started scheduled service between Florida and the Bahamas in February 1919; Became Chalk's International Airlines.
Deutsche Luft-Reederei	000000001917-12-01-0000December 1917	000000001923-01-01-00001923	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	000000001918-01-01-00001918	000000001921-01-01-00001921	Founding member of IATA
Danish Air Lines	000000001918-10-29-0000October 29, 1918	000000001946-01-01-00001946	Services started August 7, 1920. Part of SAS since 1946.
Société des lignes Latécoère	000000001918-12-25-0000December 25, 1918	000000001932-01-01-00001932	Services started December 25, 1918; rebranded as Aéropostale in 1927; its assets were incorporated into Air France in 1933
Svensk Lufttrafik	000000001919-02-07-0000February 7, 1919	000000001921-01-01-00001921	Services started 7 August 1920
Lignes Aériennes Farman	000000001919-02-08-0000February 8, 1919	000000001933-10-07-0000October 7, 1933	Merged with 4 other airlines to form Air France.
Société Générale des Transports Aériens	000000001919-02-08-0000February 8, 1919	000000001933-10-08-0000October 8, 1933	Merged with 4 other airlines to form Air France.
Grands Express Aériens	000000001919-03-20-0000March 20, 1919	000000001923-01-01-0000January 1, 1923	Merged with Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes to form Air Union.
SNETA	000000001919-03-31-0000March 31, 1919	000000001923-05-23-0000May 23, 1923	Merged into Sabena.
Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes	000000001919-04-18-0000April 18, 1919	000000001923-01-01-0000January 1, 1923	Merged with Grands Express Aériens to form Air Union.
Daimler Airway	000000001919-06-07-0000June 7, 1919	000000001924-01-01-00001924	Merged with 3 other airlines to form Imperial Airways.
Compañía Colombiana de Navegación Aérea CCNA	000000001919-09-26-0000September 26, 1919^[1]	000000001921-01-01-00001921	First airline in Colombia with mail contract with Colombian Government.
KLM	000000001919-10-07-0000October 7, 1919	Still in operation	Operations stopped during World War II (in Europe) apart from the operations in the Dutch Antilles in the Caribbean. Merged with Air France in 2004. The airline is the "Oldest operating airline by date".
Avianca	000000001919-12-05-0000December 5, 1919	Still in operation	Originally founded as Colombo-German Air Transport Society, or SCADTA. Merged with SACO on June 14, 1940 and then renamed to Avianca. "Oldest operating airline in the Americas".
Handley Page Transport	000000001919-01-01-00001919	000000001924-03-31-0000March 31, 1924	Merged with 3 other airlines to form Imperial Airways.
Instone Air Line	000000001919-01-01-00001919	000000001924-01-01-00001924	Merged with 3 other airlines to form Imperial Airways.
Aero	000000001920-01-01-0000January 1920	000000001921-01-01-00001921	Merged with Norske Aeroplanfabrik
/ CFRNA	000000001920-01-20-0000January 20, 1920	000000001933-10-07-0000October 7, 1933	Renamed CIDNA in 1925; the French arm was merged with 4 other airlines to form Air France; the Romanian arm was renamed LARES.
QANTAS	000000001920-11-16-0000November 16, 1920	Still in operation	Holds title of "Second oldest operating Airline by Years in service"^[2] After KLM. As well as "Oldest Continuously Operating Airline in the World."^[3] Due to KLM suspending service during WW2.
Aeronaut	000000001921-03-22-0000March 22, 1921	000000001927-01-11-0000January 11, 1927	Operated the routes: Tallinn-Helsinki, Tallinn-Stockholm, Tallinn-Riga-Königsberg and Tallinn-Tartu-Viljandi-Pärnu. Stopped operations in 1927 due to financial problems.
Aerotarg	000000001921-05-21-0000May 21, 1921	000000001921-06-19-0000June 19, 1921	Operated only on the route between Warsaw and Poznań
Mexicana	000000001921-07-12-0000July 12, 1921	000000002010-08-28-0000August 28, 2010	Suspended operations indefinitely. MRO still operational.
/ Deruluft	000000001921-11-24-0000November 24, 1921	000000001937-03-31-0000March 31, 1937	Joint German-Soviet airline.
West Australian Airways	000000001921-12-05-0000December 5, 1921	000000001936-06-12-0000June 12, 1936	Became part of Australian National Airways.
Aeromarine West Indies Airways	000000001921-01-01-00001921	000000001924-01-01-00001924	Services started 1 November 1920; first U.S. international air service
Junkers Luftverkehr	000000001921-01-01-00001921	000000001926-01-01-00001926	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
Aerolloyd	000000001922-06-03-0000June 3, 1922	000000001929-12-28-0000December 28, 1929	Name changed to Aerolot in 1925; merged with other privately owned airlines in Poland and eventually formed LOT Polish Airlines.^[4]
Malert	000000001922-11-19-0000November 19, 1922	000000001944-01-01-00001944	Fore-runner of Malev Hungarian Airlines.
Air Union	000000001923-01-01-0000January 1, 1923	000000001933-10-07-0000October 7, 1933	Merged with 4 other airlines to form Air France.
/ Aeroflot	000000001923-02-09-0000February 9, 1923	Still in operation	Founded as Dobrolyot, name changed to Aeroflot in 1932.
SABENA	000000001923-05-23-0000May 23, 1923	000000002002-02-01-0000February 2002	Succeeded by SN Brussels Airlines. MRO still operational.
British Marine Air Navigation Co Ltd	000000001923-08-01-0000August 1923	000000001924-01-01-00001924	Merged with 3 other airlines to form Imperial Airways.
Czech Airlines	000000001923-10-06-0000October 6, 1923	Still in operation	Founded as Czechoslovak State Airlines, name changed to Czech Airlines in 1995.
Finnair	000000001923-11-01-0000November 1, 1923	Still in operation	Founded as Aero O/Y, name changed to Finnair in 1968.
Florida Airways	000000001923-01-01-00001923	000000001927-01-01-00001927
Ukrvozdukhput	000000001923-01-01-00001923	000000001929-01-01-00001929	Merged with Zakavia and Deruluft to form Dobrolyot, forerunner of Aeroflot.
Zakavia	000000001923-01-01-00001923	000000001929-01-01-00001929	Merged with Ukrvozdukhput and Deruluft to form Dobrolyot, forerunner of Aeroflot.
Condor Syndikat	000000001924-05-05-0000May 5, 1924	000000001927-07-01-0000July 1, 1927	German-based Brazilian airline; absorbed into Deutsche Luft Hansa
Delta Air Lines	000000001924-05-30-0000May 30, 1924	Still in operation	Founded as Huff Daland Dusters for crop dusting, renamed 'Delta Air Service' in 1928, operated scheduled services from 1928 to 1930 and since 1934, Oldest operating airline in the United States.
AB Aerotransport	000000001924-06-02-0000June 2, 1924	000000001950-10-01-0000October 1, 1950	Formed SAS.
/ Tajik Air	000000001924-09-03-0000September 3, 1924	Still in operation
Imperial Airways	000000001924-01-01-00001924	000000001939-01-01-00001939	Amalgamated to form British Overseas Airways Corporation - itself merged to found British Airways.
/ Slov-Air	000000001924-01-01-00001924	000000002001-01-01-00002001	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	000000001925-02-01-0000February 1925	000000001929-01-01-0000January 1, 1929	Merged with Aerolot to form LOT Polish Airlines.
Ryan Airline Company	000000001925-04-19-0000April 19, 1925	000000001926-01-01-00001926	Name changed to B. F. Mahoney Aircraft Corporation.
National Air Transport	000000001925-05-21-0000May 21, 1925	000000001934-01-01-00001934	Became part of United Airlines following Air Mail Act of 1934.
Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano	000000001925-09-15-0000September 15, 1925	000000002010-01-01-00002010	Former flag carrier of Bolivia; replaced by Boliviana de Aviación.
Unión Aérea Española	000000001925-01-01-00001925	000000001929-01-01-00001929	Merged with Concesionaria de Líneas Aéreas Subvencionadas following Wall Street Crash of 1929.
Ford Air Transport Service	000000001925-01-01-00001925	000000001932-01-01-00001932	The world's first regularly-scheduled commercial cargo airline.
Società Anonima Navigazione Aerea	000000001925-01-01-00001925	000000001934-01-01-00001934	Merged with 3 other airlines to form Ala Littoria.
Western Airlines	000000001925-01-01-00001925	000000001987-04-01-0000April 1, 1987	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	000000001926-01-01-0000January 1926	000000001928-12-17-0000December 17, 1928	Merged into Boeing Air Transport, but continued to operate as a separate division until 1934.
Deutsche Luft Hansa	000000001926-01-06-0000January 6, 1926	000000001945-04-22-0000April 22, 1945	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	000000001926-03-01-0000March 1926	000000001930-01-01-00001930	Amalgamated with several Eastern Canadian carriers forming Canadian Airways.
Varney Air Lines	000000001926-04-06-0000April 6, 1926	000000001934-05-01-0000May 1934	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.
Eastern Air Lines	000000001926-04-19-0000April 19, 1926	000000001991-01-18-0000January 18, 1991	Started Operations in 1926 as (Pitcairn Aviation). Until 1929 changed to "Eastern Air Transport" now Eastern Air Lines until 1991.
Northwest Airlines	000000001926-01-01-00001926	000000002010-01-31-0000January 31, 2010	Merged with Delta Air Lines.
Colonial Air Transport	000000001926-01-01-00001926	000000001930-01-01-00001930	Formed American Airlines.
Pan American World Airways	000000001927-03-14-0000March 14, 1927	000000001991-12-04-0000December 4, 1991	Founded by Juan T. Trippe and began operations in 1927 as Pan American Airways (PAA). Former flag carrier of United States. 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	000000001927-05-07-0000May 7, 1927	000000002006-07-20-0000July 20, 2006	New airline formed with the same name in 2006 and eventually sold to Gol Transportes Aéreos.
/// Air Serbia	000000001927-06-17-0000June 17, 1927	Still in operation	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	000000001927-06-28-0000June 28, 1927	Still in operation	Merged with British Airways to form International Airlines Group in January 2011
Bunavad	000000001927-10-25-0000October 25, 1927	000000001930-01-01-00001930	First national airline of Bulgaria.
Cruzeiro do Sul	000000001927-12-01-0000December 1, 1927	000000001993-01-01-0000January 1, 1993	Founded as Syndicato Condor; name changed to Cruzeiro do Sul in 1943; merged with Varig in 1993.
Grand Canyon Airlines	000000001927-01-01-00001927	Still in operation	Founded as Scenic Airways; name changed to Grand Canyon Airlines in 1930.
Maddux Air Lines	000000001927-01-01-00001927	000000001929-11-16-0000November 16, 1929	Merged with TAT to form TAT-Maddux Air Lines, itself merged to form T & WA.
Standard Air Lines	000000001927-01-01-00001927	000000001930-03-01-0000March 1930	Sold off to Western Air Express, itself merged to form T & WA.
National Parks Airways	000000001927-01-01-00001927	000000001937-01-01-00001937	Bought out by Western Air Express.
/ Wien Air Alaska	000000001927-01-01-00001927	000000001984-11-23-0000November 23, 1984	First airline in Alaska.
MacRobertson Miller Airlines	000000001927-01-01-00001927	000000001993-01-01-00001993	Absorbed into Ansett.
/ KNILM	000000001928-07-16-0000July 16, 1928	000000001947-08-01-0000August 1, 1947	First operated as KNILM. KNILM dissolved and transferred to KLM Interinsulair Bedrijf (today Garuda Indonesia)
Universal Air Lines	000000001928-07-30-0000July 30, 1928	000000001934-01-01-00001934	Merged with other companies to form American Airlines.
ETA	000000001928-08-10-0000August 10, 1928	000000001929-11-16-0000November 16, 1929	Ceased operations due to administrative difficulties.
Faucett Perú	000000001928-09-15-0000September 15, 1928	000000001997-01-01-00001997
Japan Air Transport	000000001928-01-01-00001928	000000001938-01-01-00001938	Merged into Imperial Japanese Airways.
Mid-Continent Airlines	000000001928-01-01-00001928	000000001952-08-26-0000August 26, 1952	Founded as Hanford's Tri-State Airlines; name changed to Mid-Continent Airlines in 1938; merged into Braniff Airlines in 1952.
Transcontinental Air Transport	000000001928-01-01-00001928	000000002001-12-01-0000December 1, 2001	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	000000001929-01-01-0000January 1, 1929	Still in operation	Linie Lotnicze LOT created by the Polish government to replace PLL Aerolot and SA Aero.
/ Hawaiian Airlines	000000001929-01-30-0000January 30, 1929	Still in operation	Incorporated January 30, 1929 as Inter-Island Airways. Began service October 6, 1929. Name changed to Hawaiian Airlines October 1, 1941.
LAN Airlines	000000001929-03-05-0000March 5, 1929	Still in operation	Began as Línea Aeropostal Santiago-Arica. It took the name Línea Aérea Nacional de Chile (LAN Chile) in 1932. In September 1989, the Chilean government privatized the carrier.
Concesionaria de Líneas Aéreas Subvencionadas	000000001929-05-13-0000May 13, 1929	000000001936-07-18-0000July 18, 1936	Ceased operations due to the Spanish Civil War.
Aeropostal	000000001929-07-03-0000July 3, 1929	Still in operation	Founded as Linea Aeropostal Venezolana LAV, name changed to Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela in 1997 after privatization.
Pan American-Grace Airways	000000001929-09-13-0000September 13, 1929	000000001969-02-01-0000February 1, 1969	Joint venture between Pan Am and Grace Shipping Company; merged into Braniff in 1969.
Cubana	000000001929-10-08-0000October 8, 1929	Still in operation
Panair do Brasil	000000001929-10-22-0000October 22, 1929	000000001965-02-16-0000February 16, 1965	Founded as Nyrba do Brasil. Name changed to Panair do Brasil in 1930. Bankruptcy forced by the Brazilian Government.
Wiggins Airways	000000001929-01-01-00001929	Still in operation
Union Airways	000000001929-01-01-00001929	000000001934-01-01-00001934	First South African airline; taken over by the government and renamed South African Airways.

For airlines founded after 1929 see Category: Airlines by year of establishment

References

↑ "Noventa Años de Aviación Civil en Colombia". El portal de la Aviación en Colombia. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
↑ "The Transformation Continues, Qantas Data Book 2013" (PDF). Qantas. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
↑ http://xixerone.com/en/worlds-oldest-airlines/
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