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Pan American, Berlin – Munich service, A310, Munich Riem 1987 (WS)


TWA, New York – Munich service, B.747-100, Munich Riem 1984 (WS)

The development of jet passenger airlines is the subject of this main chapter – see the following seven sub chapters. The first commercial jet airliner route was opened on 2 May 1952 by BOAC with the D.H.106 Comet 1, flying London – Rome – Cairo – Khartoum – Entebbe – Livingstone – Johannesburg. In 1953 UAT of France followed with a route from Paris to Dakar, then Air France with a service to Beirut, and BOAC has added a route to Tokyo via South Asia. Aeroflot opened its first jet service on 15 September 1956 with the Tupolev Tu-104 on the route Moscow – Omsk – Irkutsk, followed by other services, including Paris and Beijing as destinations. After the disaster of the Comet 1, BOAC with the Comet 4 has opened on Oct.04, 1958 the first North Atlantic jetliner route, followed immediately by Pan American with the Boeing 707 on Oct.26, 1958. Roughly three dozen other airlines opened jet services on various routes within the next three years (see R.E.G. Davies: The World’s Airlines). South Atlantic jet routes were pioneered in 1959 by Aerolineas Argentinas with the Comet 4 and Pacific as well as Europe – Australia services by Qantas with the Boeing 707.

So the jet age has begun. Among the eight leaders in passenger-miles in the statistics of 1961, Aeroflot, Air France and BOAC were fully state owned flag carriers. United Airlines, in second position, and the other carriers of the USA were always in private ownership, but Pan American had an unofficial flag carrier status. Outside North America and Europe, VARIG of Brazil was the only one joining the top 20. By the turn of the century, with the economic growth of the Asia-Pacific region, statistics have changed fundamentally. Behind the American leaders and British Airways, Japan Airlines had leapt to rank 7. Singapore Airlines, Qantas of Australia and others advanced, too. And a decade later, Emirates had conquered rank 4 by passenger kilometers, ahead of any European carrier, and China Southern occupied rank 9. In 2015 rank 14 by LATAM showed a positive trend even for South America. Globalization has pushed forward air traffic and development towards international mega groups has opened up unforeseen future prospects. However, as long as air transport is dependent on crude oil resources, every prediction must be considered with caution.

American Airlines, DC-10, and a Nordair, Toronto 1985 (WS)	United Airlines, B.747SP ex Pan American, Hong Kong Kai Tak 1988 (WS)
Eastern Air Lines, A300, Los Angeles 1987 (WS)	CP Air, the former Canadian Pacific, DC-10, Vancouver 1985 (WS)
Aeroflot, Tu-154, Prague 1989 (WS)	British Airways, B.747-100, Toronto 1985 (WS)
Air France, B.747 , Athens Ellinikon 1997 (WS)	Lufthansa, B.747-200, Munich Riem 19987 (WS)
Iberia, A320, Ibiza 2000 (WS)	TAP Air Portugal, A340, Frankfurt 1995 (WS)
Aeromexico, DC-10, Frankfurt 1993 (WS)	Mexicana, B.727, Puerto Vallarta 1995 (WS)
Varig, MD-11, Madrid 2005 (WS)	Aerolineas Argentinas, MD-88, Buenos Aires Aeroparque 1993 (WS)
Cathay Pacific, A330, Arabian Gulf 2015 (WS)	CAAC, B.737, then operated by China Southwest, Beijing 1988 (WS)
Garuda Indonesia, B.737, Bali 2001 (WS)	El Al, Boeing 757, Munich Riem 1988 (WS)
Saudi Arabian, B.777, Arabian Gulf 2015 (WS)	Middle East Airlines, B.707, Athens Ellinikon 1995 (WS)

Japan Airlines, B.747-446, Tokyo Haneda 2005 (WS)