On this day: The maiden flight of the de Havilland Comet
On July 27, 1949, the de Havilland Comet prototype flew for the first time, taking to the sky…
Aviation History
255 articles
Explore the captivating history of aviation, from groundbreaking achievements to influential milestones.
History Hour: Flying the Channel: Louis Blériot
On the morning of July 25, 1909, Louis Blériot landed at Northfall Meadow near Dover Castle, England. A…
A brief history of long-haul flights
Flying has come a long way since the first scheduled passenger flight. On New Year’s Day in 1914,…
38 years of Virgin Atlantic
Thirty-eight years ago, on June 22, 1984, Virgin Atlantic’s maiden flight, VS1, departed from London Gatwick for Newark,…
The last Concorde: Alpha Foxtrot
The last Concorde to be built and the last to flyOn June 13, 1980, British Airways took delivery…
Defining moments in aviation: the story of Trans Australia Flight 538
In 1960, one of Australia’s deadliest air crash accidents occurred in Queensland, killing 29 people. The mysterious crash…
The story of Air France Flight 447
On this day, 13 years ago, during the early morning of June 1, 2009, Air France Flight 447…
Landing in Red Square: the daring flight of Mathias Rust
On this day 35 years ago, a teenage West German aviator called Mathias Rust flew a rented Cessna…
Lindbergh and the first non-stop solo transatlantic flight
It was on this day, 95 years ago, that Charles Lindberg landed at Paris Le Bourget Aerodrome at…
25 Years of Star Alliance
A quarter of a century ago, on May 14, 1997, United Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways, Air Canada…
18 years on from the merger of Air France and KLM
On May 5, 2004, Air France and KLM airlines merged to create the AirFrance-KLM Group in an €800m…
American Airlines: 96 years in the making
On April 15, 1926, Charles Lindbergh departed St. Louis, Missouri flying a Robertson DH-4 aircraft, carrying U.S. mail…
Today in history: FedEx Flight 705 attempted hijacking
On this day 28 years ago, Federal Express Flight 705 departed Memphis, Tennessee for San Jose, California. The…
On this day: 104 years of the Royal Air Force
On April 1, 1918, 104 years ago, the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service…
History hour: How air mail shaped US aviation as we know it
Boeing, Pratt & Whitney, Sikorsky, United Airlines…These names are iconic within the American aeronautical industry. And for good…
On this day: Remembering Ann Baumgartner
On this day in 2008, Ann Baumgartner, passed away aged 89. She was known as an American aviator,…
The story of the first low-cost carrier in the United States
Did you know that the low-cost carrier (LCC) business model first emerged in North America? The term ‘low-cost carrier’…
MH370: Aviation’s unsolved mystery
On this day eight years ago, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 left Kuala Lumper International Airport at 00:42 MYT…