Today there are some great airlines like Thai Airways or one of the Scandinavian Airlines but many of what some thought were the best airlines did not stand the test of time. Here is a list of the top 10 oldest airlines in the world ever, well those that stood the test of time and are still operating today, with dates that they started.
10
Iberia – June 28, 1927
Although now part OF AN International group since 2011, it still operates under its own name and is still the largest airline of Spain and its two main airports are in Madrid and Barcelona.
9
Air Serbia – June 17, 1927
Based at Belgrade Nicola Tesla Airport, this is the main airline for Serbia. It only took up this name in 2013 but has been in continuous operation, first in 1927 as Aeroput and then from 1947 as JAT Airways.
8
Tajik Air – September 3, 1924
This is the national airlines for Tajikistan and is headquartered at Dushanbe International Airport.
7
Delta Air Lines – May 30, 1924
With its headquarters in Atlanta, delta is the oldest airline in the US. This airline with, its subsidiaries, have 80,000 employees and operate more than 5,000 flights every day. In 2012, Delta had more scheduled passengers than any other airline and in 2011; it owned the largest fleet of aircraft.
6
Finnair – November 1, 1923
This is the flagship airline for Finland and is 55.8% government owned. Its main airport is Helsinki-Vantaa Airport and its headquarters are in Vantaa. This has been rated as one of the safest airlines in the world as it hasn’t had a fatal or hull-loss accident since 1963.
5
Czech Airlines – October 6, 1923
In 1957, this was only the second airline to use jet passenger planes. The headquarters for this airline is at the Vaclav-Havel Airport, Prague and it is now part of the Czech Aeroholding Group that also owns the airport.
4
Aeroflot – February 9, 1923
This is the largest airline in the Russian Federation and flies both domestic and international flights. The airline was run as a totally government owned enterprise under the soviets but became part privatized after that. Although the government of Russia still owns 51%, it managed to be the 19th most profitable company in the world in 2007.
3
Qantas – November 16, 1920
This is the largest airline in Australia and was named after “Queensland and Northern territories Airline Services” but quickly earned the nickname Flying Kangaroo. Its headquarters is in the City of Botany Bay, Sydney and its main airport is also Sydney.
2
Avianca – December 5, 1919
This is the national airline for Columbia and with its headquarters based in Bogotá; it is the second largest airline in Latin America.
1
KLM – October 7, 1919
The full name of this airline is Koninklijke Luchvaart Maatschappij (Royal Dutch Airlines) and is the airline of the Netherlands. Although most of its operations stopped during WW11, it still operated in the Dutch Antilles in the Caribbean.