List of airlines by foundation date

This is a list of airlines by foundation date of the company. The list includes airlines founded before December 31, 1930.

Rows with a light-green background indicate the earliest predecessor company of an airline that is still operating as a parent company or a subsidiary company (many modern airline holding companies operate more than one airline). Of the airlines still operating, predecessor companies of Air France were the first to begin passenger operations in 1913,^[1] and international passenger operations in 1919;^[2][3] and KLM is the oldest airline still operating under its original name, under which it was established in 1919.^[4][5]

The date of the first airline service may differ from the foundation date of the company.

Airline	Country	Established	Ceased operations, acquired or merged	Corporate successor still operating	Notes
Compagnie générale transaérienne		October 10, 1909	February 1921	Air France	Began weekly return flights for mail and other items in 1911 between London to Paris from April to October.[6] On March 22, 1913, GGT started the world's first scheduled passenger-carrying fixed-wing flights within France and a week later to Monte Carlo.[1] It was the first French airline, and the first of the companies that would eventually merge to become Air France,[7] which is the oldest corporate predecessor of all airlines still operating.
DELAG	/	November 16, 1909	March 21, 1935		The world’s first passenger and commercial airline,[8][9] beginning services in June 1910.[10] 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 and re-established in 2001.
Aero Rt.		December 22, 1910	1920		Merged with Magyar Aeroforgalmi Rt (MAEFORT) which in turn, merged with Magyar Legiforgalmi R.T. (MALERT) to form Maszovlet. Later Hungary acquired all the Soviet shares of Maszovlet and renamed it to Malév Hungarian Airlines.
St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line		1913	May 5, 1914		Fixed-wing scheduled passenger commercial aviation service, first in the United States.[2]
Aircraft Transport and Travel		October 5, 1916	February 25, 1921	British Airways	British Airways' earliest predecessor company is Aircraft Transport and Travel (AT&T),[11][12][13][14][15] which began services with the world's first daily scheduled commercial aviation service on August 25, 1919, an international flight from London to Paris.[16][3] Its assets were used to create Daimler Airway, which continued its services.[12][17] Through numerous takeovers and mergers, it became a part of British Airways making BA the operating airline with the second oldest predecessor. British Airways merged with Iberia to form International Airlines Group (IAG) on January 21, 2011 and remains in operation as a subsidiary company.[18]
Red Arrow Flying Service		1917	2007		As Chalk's Flying Service, the company claimed to have begun a scheduled international service between Florida and the Bahamas in February 1919.[19][20] Later renamed Chalk's Ocean Airways and then Chalk's International Airlines.
Deutsche Luft-Reederei	/	December 1917	1923		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		1918	1921		Founding member of IATA
Det Danske Luftfartselskab		October 29, 1918	1951	SAS	Services started August 7, 1920. Part of SAS since 1946. It is the third oldest operating airline through its predecessor companies.[21][22]
Société des lignes Latécoère		December 25, 1918	October 7, 1933	Air France	Began operations in 1924.[23][24] It was rebranded as Aéropostale in 1927 and then incorporated into Air France on October 7, 1933.[25] Air France merged with KLM in 2004 to form Air France–KLM and remains in operation as a subsidiary company.
Svensk Lufttrafik		February 7, 1919	1921		Services started 7 August 1920
Lignes Aériennes Farman		February 8, 1919	October 7, 1933	Air France	Began a weekly service between Paris and Brussels on March 22, 1919, the world's first international commercial aviation service.[2][3] Renamed Société Générale des Transports Aériens. Merged with four other airlines to form Air France.
Grands Express Aériens		March 20, 1919	January 1, 1923	Air France	Merged with Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes to form Air Union.
SNETA		March 31, 1919	May 23, 1923	Brussels Airlines	Merged into Sabena; operations transferred to Delta Air Transport, which later became SN Brussels Airlines; merged with Virgin Express to form Brussels Airlines. It is the fourth oldest operating airline through its predecessor companies.[26]
Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes		April 18, 1919	January 1, 1923	Air France	Merged with Grands Express Aériens to form Air Union.
Compañía Colombiana de Navegación Aérea – CCNA		September 26, 1919[27]	July 17, 1922		First airline in Colombia with mail contract with Colombian Government.
Koninklijke Luchtvaartmaatschappij[28]		October 7, 1919	Still in operation	KLM	KLM was established under the name Koninklijke Luchtvaartmaatschappij[28] by a group of Dutch businessmen and bankers with the support of the Dutch government. The first KLM flight took place on May 17, 1920. During World War II, KLM stopped operating in Europe, but continued in the West Indies as Dutch Caribbean colonies were not occupied by Nazi Germany.[29][30] After the war, the government took a majority stake, effectively nationalising the airline during that period. KLM merged with Air France in 2004 to form Air France–KLM and remains in operation as a subsidiary company. It is the fifth oldest airline still in operation when considering predecessor companies. It markets itself as the oldest airline still operating under its original name.[4][5]
SCADTA		December 5, 1919	June 14, 1940	Avianca	Founded as SCADTA in 1919 by Germans and Colombians. American concern during World War II over the German shares of the airline forced SCADTA to merge in 1940 with the smaller state-owned SACO to form Avianca.[31][32][33] Avianca spent over a year in Chapter 11 bankruptcy during 2020–21.[34] It the sixth oldest airline still operating by date of foundation of its predcessor. In its past corporate marketing, it has claimed to be the second oldest airline in the world.[35][36][37]
Handley Page Transport		1919	March 31, 1924	British Airways	Merged with three other airlines to form Imperial Airways.
Handley Page Indo-Burmese transport		1919[38]	1921[a]		First airline in India (then under British rule).
Instone Air Line		1919	March 31, 1924	British Airways	Merged with three other airlines to form Imperial Airways.
A/S Aero		January 1920	1921		Merged with Norske Aeroplanfabrik
CFRNA	/	January 20, 1920	October 7, 1933	Air France	Renamed CIDNA in 1925; the French arm was merged with four other airlines to form Air France; the Romanian arm was renamed LARES.
Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services		November 16, 1920	October 2, 1947[39]	Qantas	Qantas was originally established as the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited (QANTAS). During World War II, most aircraft were used by the RAAF, however limited operations continued within Australia, to/from Singapore and on the Australia-England route.[40] QANTAS was liquidated on 2 October 1947,[39] after the airline was nationalised. The current parent entity is Qantas Airways Limited, which was incorporated in 1967.[41][42] It is the seventh oldest still-active airline by foundation date when considering predecessor companies. In its marketing, it claims to be the world's second oldest airline,[43] and has claimed to be the "oldest continuously operating airline in the world".[44]
Aeronaut		March 22, 1921	January 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		May 10, 1921	June 19, 1921		Operated only on the route between Poznań–Warsaw and Poznań–Gdańsk, mainly in order to serve participants and visitors of the first Poznań International Fair.
Daimler Airway		April, 1921	April 1, 1924	British Airways	Daimler Air Hire, founded June 7, 1919, was combined with the assets of Aircraft Transport and Travel (AT&T) in 1921 to create Daimler Airway.[12][16] Merged with three other airlines in 1924 to form Imperial Airways.
Mexicana de Aviación		July 12, 1921	August 28, 2010		Suspended operations indefinitely. MRO still operational. Brand was revived during 2023.
Deruluft	/	November 24, 1921	March 31, 1937		Joint German-Soviet airline.
West Australian Airways		December 5, 1921	June 12, 1936		Became part of Australian National Airways.
Aeromarine West Indies Airways		1921	1924		Services started 1 November 1920; first U.S. international air service
Junkers Luftverkehr		1921	1926		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
Beijing-Han Airlines		March 29, 1922	March 31, 1922		Founded by warlord Cao Kun with a single Handley Page aircraft, likely a modified HP O/400; fatally crashed in Beijing 3 days later.[45]
Aerolloyd		June 3, 1922	December 28, 1929		Name changed to Aerolot in 1925; merged with other privately owned airlines in Poland formed LOT Polish Airlines.[46]
Latvijas gaisa satiksme AS		July 31, 1922	1928		Operated in 1923-1926. With hub in Spilve airport, Riga it served Tallinn-Riga-Kaunas (for some time-Klaipėda)-Koenigsberg route in cooperation with Junkers Luftverkehr AG and Aeronaut. Went bankrupt in 1926, liquidated in 1928.
Malert		November 19, 1922	1944		Fore-runner of Malev Hungarian Airlines.
Air Union		January 1, 1923	October 7, 1933	Air France	Merged with four other airlines to form Air France.
Dobrolyot	/	February 3, 1923	Still in operation	Aeroflot	Founded as Dobrolyot, name changed to Aeroflot in 1932. The company has undergone significant changes in its corporate structure since its foundation.
SABENA		May 23, 1923	February 2002		Succeeded by SN Brussels Airlines, which became Brussels Airlines. MRO still operational.
British Marine Air Navigation Co Ltd		August 1923	March 31, 1924		Merged with three other airlines to form Imperial Airways.
Czech Airlines	/	October 6, 1923	October 26, 2024		Founded as Czechoslovak State Airlines, name changed to Czech Airlines in 1995.
Aero		November 1, 1923	Still in operation	Finnair	Founded as Aero O/Y, name changed to Finnair in 1968.
Florida Airways		1923	1927
Ukrpovitroshliakh		June 1, 1923	1929	Aeroflot	Merged into Dobrolyot.
Zakavia		1923	1925	Aeroflot	Merged into Ukrvozdukhput.
Condor Syndikat	/	May 5, 1924	July 1, 1927		German-based Brazilian airline; absorbed into Deutsche Luft Hansa
AB Aerotransport		June 2, 1924	October 1, 1950		Formed SAS.
Tajikistan division of Aeroflot	/	September 3, 1924	Still in operation	Tajik Air	Founded as a division of Aeroflot in Tajik ASSR, became independent in 1991.
Imperial Airways		March 31, 1924	November 24, 1939	British Airways	Amalgamated to form British Overseas Airways Corporation - itself merged to found British Airways.
Slov-Air	/	1924	2001		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		February 1925	December 28, 1929		Merged with Aerolot formed LOT Polish Airlines.
Ryan Airline Company		April 19, 1925	1926		Name changed to B. F. Mahoney Aircraft Corporation.
National Air Transport		May 21, 1925	1934	United Airlines	Became part of United Airlines following Air Mail Act of 1934.
Western Air Express		July 1925	April 1, 1987	Delta Air Lines	Founded as Western Air Express, which commenced operations April 17, 1926; 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. Los Angeles-San Diego Air Line started service in 1925 with Ryan modified Davis-Douglas Cloudster.
Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano		September 15, 1925	2010		Former flag carrier of Bolivia; replaced by Boliviana de Aviación.
Unión Aérea Española		1925	1929		Merged with Concesionaria de Líneas Aéreas Subvencionadas following Wall Street Crash of 1929.
Ford Air Transport Service		1925	1932		The world's first regularly-scheduled commercial cargo airline.
Società Anonima Navigazione Aerea		1925	1934		Merged with three other airlines to form Ala Littoria.
Pacific Air Transport		January 1926	December 17, 1928		Merged into Boeing Air Transport, but continued to operate as a separate division until 1934.
Deutsche Luft Hansa	/	January 6, 1926	April 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		March 1926	1930		Amalgamated with several Eastern Canadian carriers forming Canadian Airways.
Varney Air Lines		April 6, 1926	May 1934	United Airlines	Began passenger service on April 6, 1926. Merged with three 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.
American Airways		April 15, 1926	Still in operation	American Airlines
Eastern Air Lines		April 19, 1926	January 17, 1991		Started Operations in 1926 as Pitcairn Aviation. Until 1930 changed to "Eastern Air Transport" then Eastern Air Lines until 1991. Re-established in 2015 until 2017. Brand relaunched again in 2018.
Northwest Airlines		September 10, 1926	January 31, 2010	Delta Air Lines	Merged with Delta Air Lines.
Colonial Air Transport		1926	1930	American Airlines	Formed American Airlines.
Pan American World Airways		March 14, 1927	December 4, 1991		Founded by Juan T. Trippe and began operations in 1927 as Pan American Airways (PAA). Former de facto flag carrier of United States.[47] 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		May 7, 1927	July 20, 2006		New airline formed with the same name in 2006 and eventually sold to Gol Transportes Aéreos.
Aeroput	// /	June 17, 1927	24 December 1948	Air Serbia	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		June 28, 1927	Still in operation	Iberia	Merged with British Airways to form International Airlines Group (IAG) in January 2011 and remains in operation as a subsidiary company.
Maddux Air Lines		September 22, 1927	November 16, 1929		Merged with TAT to form TAT-Maddux Air Lines, itself merged to form T & WA.
Scenic Airways		October 3, 1927	Still in operation	Grand Canyon Airlines	Founded as Scenic Airways; name changed to Grand Canyon Airlines in 1930.
Bunavad		October 25, 1927	1930		First national airline of Bulgaria.
Cruzeiro do Sul		December 1, 1927	January 1, 1993		Founded as Syndicato Condor; name changed to Cruzeiro do Sul in 1943; merged with Varig in 1993.
Standard Air Lines		1927	March 1930		Sold off to Western Air Express, itself merged to form T & WA.
National Parks Airways		1927	1937		Bought out by Western Air Express.
Wien Air Alaska		1927	November 23, 1984		First airline in Alaska.
MacRobertson Miller Airlines		1927	1993		Absorbed into Ansett.
Paul R. Braniff, Inc.		May 29, 1928	March 1929		First Braniff brothers airline entity that operated scheduled service between Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Forerunner of Braniff Airways and then became Braniff Air Lines, Inc., and later Braniff Airways, Inc. in November 1930.
KNILM	/	July 16, 1928	August 1, 1947		First operated as KNILM. KNILM dissolved and transferred to KLM Interinsulair Bedrijf (today Garuda Indonesia)
Universal Air Lines		July 30, 1928	1934	American Airlines	Merged with other companies to form American Airlines.
ETA		August 10, 1928	November 16, 1929		Ceased operations due to administrative difficulties.
British Columbia Airways		August 16, 1928	August 25, 1928		Had a single Ford 4-AT Trimotor which crashed.[48]
Faucett Perú		September 15, 1928	December 3, 1997
Japan Air Transport		October 28, 1928	1938		Merged into Imperial Japanese Airways.
Delta Air Service		December 3, 1928	1930	Delta Air Lines	Founded as Ogdensburg Aeroway Corp, became Huff Daland Dusters for crop dusting (not an airline). Acquired and became an airline, 'Delta Air Service' in 1928. Passenger operations began on June 17, 1929,[49] and continued until October 1930.[50] Restarted as Delta Air Lines in 1934.[51][52][53]
Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT		December 29, 1928	Still in operation	LOT Polish Airlines	Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT created by the Polish government; they have since absorbed airlines Aerolot (1922) and Aero (1925).
Mid-Continent Airlines		1928	August 26, 1952		Founded as Hanford's Tri-State Airlines; name changed to Mid-Continent Airlines in 1938; merged into Braniff International Airways in 1952.
Transcontinental Air Transport		1928	1930	American Airlines	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.
Inter-Island Airways		January 30, 1929	Still in operation	Hawaiian Airlines	Incorporated January 30, 1929 as Inter-Island Airways. Began service October 6, 1929. Name changed to Hawaiian Airlines October 1, 1941. Merged with Alaska Airlines on September 18, 2024, Hawaiian Airlines still operates as a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group.[54][55]
Línea Aeropostal Santiago-Arica		March 5, 1929	Still in operation	LATAM Chile	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. LAN Chile became LAN Airlines in 2004 but in 2010, LAN merged with TAM Airlines and became LATAM Airlines. LAN Airlines still operates under the name LATAM Chile as a subsidiary of LATAM Airlines Group.
CLASSA – Concesionaria de Líneas Aéreas Subvencionadas		May 13, 1929	July 18, 1936		Ceased operations due to the Spanish Civil War.
Linea Aeropostal Venezolana		July 3, 1929	August 1994	Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela	Founded as Linea Aeropostal Venezolana LAV. Name changed to Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela in 1997 after privatization.
Pan American-Grace Airways		September 13, 1929	February 1, 1969		Joint venture between Pan American Airways and W.R. Grace[b]; merged into Braniff in 1969.
Cubana de Aviación		October 8, 1929	Still in operation	Cubana de Aviación
Panair do Brasil		October 22, 1929	February 16, 1965		Founded as Nyrba do Brasil. Name changed to Panair do Brasil in 1930. Bankruptcy forced by the Brazilian Militar Dictatorship Government.
Wiggins Airways		1929	June 1, 2024		Purchased by Ameriflight in 2014, it was formally made a division of Ameriflight on June 1 2024.[57]
Union Airways		July 24, 1929	January 31, 1934		First South African airline; taken over by the government and renamed South African Airways.
Australian National Airways		1929	1931
Trans World Airlines		July 16, 1930	December 1, 2001	American Airlines	Acquired by American Airlines.
China National Aviation Corporation	/	August 1, 1930	July 17, 1952	Air China	Merged with CATC to form CAAC Airlines.
Aviaarktika		September 1, 1930	January 3, 1960	Aeroflot	Absorbed into Aeroflot.
Braniff International Airways		November 13, 1930	May 12/May 13, 1982
New England & Western Air Transportation Co.		1930	1930
South West African Airways		1930	1935		First commercial air service in South West Africa (Namibia)

For airlines founded after 1930 see Category: Airlines by year of establishment

Notes

1. Exact date unknown; known to have still been operational at this date
2. W.R. Grace owned Grace Shipping Company, the largest shipping company in South America^[56]