History of Air Cargo and Air Mail

History of Air Cargo or Air Freight and Air Mail

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Please note: I have recently deleted my facebook and X accounts. This page is currently being updated with new links to BlueSky.

My BlueSky page with hashtag #aircargohistory is now probably the greatest source for Air Cargo or Air Freight and Air Mail History on the internet, with a timeline and many stories, pics, videos, links and fun stuff.  Here you will find information as gathered from internet and other sources, to form one overall picture of the history of air cargo.

It's actually quite hard to reconstruct this history.  One of the reasons will of course be that the air cargo history is and has always been intertwined with the general history of aviation and airlines - a large part of air cargo has always been moved in combination with passengers.
Besides that, the industry seems to be more driven by the business (and problems) of the day and tomorrow, and not too much time is spent on looking back. The best book to be found on the subject is arguably "The history of Air Cargo and Airmail from the 18th century" by Camille Allaz.  The information on internet is often scattered or focused on specific parts or companies.
Nevertheless I tried to make a general timeline (still under construction!) from everything I could find on the subject.  Below is an overview of the most important milestones, all directly linked to the background information.

Please LIKE my BlueSky page with hashtag #aircargohistory and help me add historic subjects there.

Thanks, and feel free to comment or contact me about this!  Enjoy!

History by year

(click on the items for further information)

• • 2013
  • • World Airways and North American Airlines parent Global Aviation Holdings files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection – again.
    • Air Cargo Germany (ACG) officially files for bankruptcy.
    • First Korean domestic cargo airline ‘Air Incheon’ starts operation.
    • American Airlines and US Airways announce that the two companies will merge in a deal that will form the largest airline in the world.
    • First flight of the Xian Y-20 (Yun-20) Kunpeng, manufactured by the Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation.
• • 2012
  • • AviancaTaca Group announces that all its subsidiaries will operate under the name of Avianca.
    • Southern Air files for Chapter 11 protection.
    • First flight of the Ilyushin Il-476, a further development of the Il-76MD.
    • Air India Cargo ends freighter aircraft operations in early 2012, due to rising competition from local cargo airlines as well as financial issues.
    • Jade Cargo International officially announces the closure of the company and the start of liquidation proceedings effective June, 04, 2012. This due to lack of demand and “extended discussions” between Jade Cargo’s owners.
    • UPS wants to buy TNT Express for $6.77 billion. This deal comes a little more than a month after TNT Express rejected UPS’ initial $6.4 billion acquisition offer. The deal will be blocked by EU in jan 2013 though.
    • The last departure of an official Continental Airlines flight takes place as Continental Flight 1267 departs Phoenix, Arizona, bound for Cleveland, Ohio. On 3 March, Continental Airlines disappears into United Airlines, as a result of their 2010 merger.
• • • In March, the TSA and the CBP announce that they’re moving forward with their joint Air Cargo Advance Screening pilot program
    • Due to continuous financial trouble since 2008, all VARIGLOG operations are suspended. On 27 September 2012 VARIG Logística S.A. is declared bankrupt.
    • IATA begins championing full implementation of the e-airwaybill by 2015 as the first step toward e-freight, instead of the previous all-at-once method
    • On January 1, the EU ETS goes into effect, placing a cap on airline emissions on flights routed into the European Union. IATA and other industry groups push back against the new rule, asking for an ICAO-provided solution instead
    • FedEx announces plans to acquire French transportation company Tatex. The announcement comes a month after FedEx agrees to purchase a Polish shipping company.
• • 2011
  • • The two TNT divisions, TNT Post and TNT Express, split to create two separate companies.
• • 2010
  • • TNT expends its long haul network with a five day per week air cargo service linking Moscow and its main European hub Liege as well as with a direct flight between Chongqing and Liège.
    • The Cargo businesses of Avianca, TACA, and Aerogal are integrated to Tampa Cargo.
    • After 89 years of service, Compañía Mexicana de Aviación, S.A. de C.V. (commonly known as Mexicana) suspends all operations.
    • Arrow Cargo files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
    • An An-225 carries the world's longest piece of air cargo - two new 42-meter test wind turbine blades - transported from Tianjin (China) to Denmark.
    • British Airways & Iberia formally combine business operations to form International Airlines Group (IAG - 55% BA, 45% Iberia)
    • IATA e-freight initiative takes form.
• • 2009
  • • Avianca merges with TACA.
    • TNT continues its expansion with the acquisition of LIT Cargo in Chili and Expresso Araçatuba in Brazil and extends its integrated road network worldwide.
    • The heaviest single cargo item ever sent via air freight is loaded onto an Antonov 225.
    • Cargo B Airlines ceases operations after failing to receive tenders.
• • 2008
  • • VASP is declared bankrupt.
    • The Northwest Airlines - Delta merger (under the name of Delta) is approved. Delta announces that the NWA Cargo hub will be shut down by the end of 2009.
    • Aloha Air Cargo established.
    • Northwest Airlines announces that it will be merging with Delta Air Lines to form the world's largest airline.
• • 2007
  • • Air India partners with GATI, a leader and pioneer in express distribution and supply chain solutions for a dedicated freighter service using the 737s.
    • Cargo B Airlines is founded.
• • 2006
  • • TNT acquires: TG+ in Spain, Speedage in India, Mercurio in Brazil and Hoau in China.
    • Northwest Airlines Cargo has become the largest U.S. cargo carrier. NWA Cargo's freighters fly from key cities in the U.S. and Asia, as well as Amsterdam, connecting with the carrier's cargo hub in Anchorage, AK, facilitating the quick transfer of cargo.
    • In 2006 Air India Cargo relaunches own freighter services following the merger of Indian Airlines and its domestic subsidiary Alliance Air with Air India.
    • VASP starts operating under the new Brazilian bankruptcy law.
    • VARIG is split in VRG Linhas Aéreas (sold to VarigLog and later Gol Transportes Aéreos) and Viação Aérea Rio-Grandense (to become Flex Linhas Aéreas, styled as FLEX, went bankrupt on August 20, 2010) as two different judicial entities and airlines.
    • Regional Cargo (Mexico) starts operations.
    • BAX Global is acquired from Brink's by DB Logistics, the Transportation and Logistics Division of Deutsche Bahn, for $1.1 billion. At the time of the sale, fleet operator and owner Air Transport International (ATI) is sold to Cargo Holdings International.
• • 2005
  • • TNT announces in 2005 the extension of its Middle East Road Network and launches its first integrated road network in Asia. In January 2005, TPG operates globally under the brand TNT for all its activities.
    • VARIG LOG is purchased for US$ 48.2 million by the consortium Volo do Brasil during the split-up of the assets of VARIG.
    • TNT announces a change in strategy: the company is to focus on delivery services via Mail, Express and Freight transport networks.
    • VARIG applies to the Commercial Bankruptcy and Reorganization Court in Rio de Janeiro.
• • 2004
  • • myCARGO is established to perform unscheduled air cargo services providing extra capacity to major carriers.
    • Jade Cargo International is established. The company is co-owned by Shenzhen Airlines (51%), Lufthansa Cargo (25%) and DEG – Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (24%).
    • Jade Cargo International is established. The company is co-owned by Shenzhen Airlines (51%), Lufthansa Cargo (25%) and DEG – Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, a subsidiary of German state-owned bank KfW (24%).
    • TPG undertakes a major expansion of the TNT Express air hub in Liège, Belgium.
    • Creation of Air France-KLM, the leading European transport group.
    • Etihad’s cargo division starts its cargo services under the name “Etihad Cargo”.
• • 2003
  • • TransBrasil is declared bankrupt after request of one of its major debtors - GE aircraft leasing company.
    • Etihad Airways is launched.
• • 2002
  • • Avianca, the regional carrier SAM Colombia and its major rival ACES Colombia, join efforts to create Alianza Summa, and begin merged operations.
    • SWISS launches its freight division under the name of Swiss WorldCargo.
    • The Trade Act of 2002 is enacted on August 6, providing U.S. presidents with the authority to negotiate trade deals with other nations without Congressional amendment.
    • In January, Airbus starts production on the A380 in Nantes, France
• • 2001
  • • Polar Air Cargo is acquired by Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings (AAWW).
    • LAN Airlines' new cargo terminal opens in Miami.
    • In response to the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush announced the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security (OHS) to coordinate "homeland security" efforts, leading a.o. to measures to secure airline and air cargo processes worldwide.
    • Aeropostal Cargo de Mexico is founded.
    • TWA assets were acquired in April 2001 by AMR Corp., the parent company of American Airlines. As part of the deal, TWA declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy (for the third time) the day after it agreed to the purchase. Dec 1st TWA ceases to exist.
    • American Airlines announces that it has agreed to purchase substantially all the assets of Trans World Airlines, Inc.
• • 2000
  • • TNT Airways, the airline of the TPG group, is founded.
    • Canadian Airlines is taken over by and merged into Air Canada.
    • Air France, Aeromexico, Delta Airlines and Korean Air found the SkyTeam and SkyTeam Cargo alliances.
    • Kalitta Air begins service in November 2000 with three Boeing 747 aircraft.
    • Varig Logística S.A., operating as VarigLog, starts operations as a wholly owned subsidiary of Varig. All Varig cargo operations are united under the new airline.
    • Estafeta Carga Aérea S.A. de C.V. (Mexico) is founded.
    • TAPA (Transported Asset Protection Association) is set up.
• • 1999
  • • Worldwide Passenger Joint Venture and Cargo Joint Venture of KLM and Alitalia become operational under a joint management structure.
    • Southern Air Transport (SAT) is restructured as Southern Air.
• • 1998
  • • TPG breaks away from KPN, its telecom branch in 1998 and creates two brands: TNT and PTT Post (today TNT Post). TNT also opens the same year its European Air Hub in Liege, Belgium.
    • AeroUnion - Aerotransporte de Carga Unión is founded, and operations are launched in July 2001.
• • 1997
  • • Burlington Air Express changes its name to BAX Global, reflecting its expansion over all continents.
    • Air Canada, United Airlines, Lufthansa, Thai Airways International and Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) establish Star Alliance – the world’s first airline alliance.
    • Air Inter is absorbed in Air France.
    • IATA Cargo2000 (C2K) Master Operating Plan established.
• • 1996
  • • TNT Limited is acquired by KPN (Koninklijke PTT Nederland) in 1996: the company becomes then TNT Post Group (TPG).
    • First flight of the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules.
• • 1995
  • • Aeronaves TSM (Mexico) is founded.
    • TWA files for bankruptcy again, and reemerges again.
    • Cargo and Mail Bureau at LOT Polish Airlines is established.
    • E(A)SC document "A Shippers' White Paper on Airfreight" published.
    • First flight of a Marshall converted Lockheed L-1011 freighter.
• • 1994
  • • Federal Express shorten their official name to FedEx.
    • The International Air Cargo Forum Association is created, later to become TIACA.
    • Coyne Aviation is founded as a charter broker specialising in the former Soviet states. In 1996 the company name changes to Coyne Airways.
    • First flight of the Antonov An-70 medium-range transport aircraft, and the first large aircraft to be powered by propfan engines.
    • Lufthansa Cargo AG is founded as an autonomous logistics company within the Lufthansa Group.
    • U.S. Congress further encourages the development of the cargo and express delivery part of the airline industry by preempting state efforts to regulate intrastate air/truck freight and air express package shipments.
    • The Tripartite Shippers’ Group (TSG, currently known as the Global Shippers Forum - GSF) is formed.
• • 1993
  • • Polar Air Cargo Worldwide, Inc. is formed as a joint venture between Southern Air Transport and GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS).
    • Northwest Airlines begins a strategic alliance with KLM, which is the largest airline partnership ever conceived at this time.
    • Qatar Airways is founded.
    • Indian airline Jet Airways begins commercial airline operations with four Boeing 737-300 airliners.
• • 1992
  • • UTA is absorbed into Air France.
    • TWA files for bankruptcy, a.o. because it ignored the dedicated air cargo market, but reemerges.
    • Antonov An-124 civil certification is issued.
    • Aerotransportes Mas de Carga, S.A. de C.V., operating as MasAir, is founded.
    • Michael Chowdry, extending a corporate trend toward outsourcing, creates Atlas Air, an airline dedicated to leasing 747-200 freighters to airlines under long-term contracts
    • The International Air Cargo Forum is reorganized outside the SAE as The International Air Cargo Association
    • Federal Express sends software on computer disks to thousands of customers, allowing them to track shipments from their own workstations
    • Lufthansa’s Wilhelm Althen admits that the carrier’s move to start a freight network is a reaction to the competition from integrated carriers
• • 1991
  • • Due to financial problems during 1990 and 1991, Airlift International ceases operations.
    • First flight of the McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) C-17 Globemaster III.
    • Mexicargo is founded and begins flights in February 1996 using a Boeing 727-225F.
• • 1990
  • • U.S. strategic airlift for Operation Desert Storm (Gulf War)
    • UTA, along with Air Inter and Air France itself, become part of an enlarged Air France group, which in turn became a wholly owned subsidiary of Groupe Air France.
• • 1989
  • • Federal Express acquires Tiger International, Inc., the owners of Flying Tigers.
    • EVA Airways Corporation is founded.
    • Antonov An-225 sets 106 world & class records during 3h 30m flight carrying Buran orbiter, weight: 508,200kg (1,120,000 lb).
    • Eastern Airlines files for bankruptcy It eventually ceases operations 18 Jan 1991.
    • IPC (International Post Corporation) is set up.
• • 1988
  • • UPS Airlines launches: The quickest and biggest airline startup in FAA history.
    • Pacific Southwest Airlines shut down operations and is integrated to USAir (now US Airways).
    • UPS receives permission from the FAA to operate its own airline (as opposed to leasing), known as UPS Airline.
    • Air China Cargo commences business with Air China.
• • 1987
  • • First flight of the first Lockheed L-1011 freighter, converted by Pemco.
    • Canadian Pacific Air Lines is sold, along with Quebec's Nordair, to Calgary-based Pacific Western Airlines (PWA) ; the new name of the merged airline is Canadian Airlines International.
• • 1986
  • • Federal Express introduces the SuperTracker®, a hand-held bar code scanner system that captures detailed package information.
    • Burlington Northern Air Freight, Inc. (BNAFI) changes its name to Burlington Air Express, repositioning itself as an overnight air express company.
    • Western Airlines and Delta Air Lines merger agreement is approved by the United States Department of Transportation.
• • 1985
  • • Emirates and its air freight division Emirates SkyCargo are formed.
• • 1984
  • • American International Airways (AIA) starts flying in 1984 using Boeing 747, Lockheed L-1011, Douglas DC-8, Twin Beech and Learjet aircraft, for air freight, air ambulance and charter passenger operations.
    • American Airlines retires its 747 cargo freighter fleet and focuses on smaller shipments carried in the bellies of its passenger aircraft.
• • 1982
  • • In April, Airbus launches its second aircraft, the A310
    • Antonov An-124 makes first flight
• • 1981
  • • With fuel costs soaring, American Airlines accelerates the retirement of the Boeing 707 fleet in 1980. By August 1981, American has retired all its Boeing 707s aircraft, including their freighters.
• • 1980
  • • Seaboard World Airlines is absorbed by The Flying Tiger Line, Inc.
    • Air Zimbabwe is formed.
• • 1979
  • • TNT starts air transport activities and becomes the first express carrier in Europe providing direct delivery services by air.
• • 1978
  • • U.S. Airline Deregulation Act ; restoration of competition among airlines.
• • 1977
  • • Eastern becomes the first U.S. operator of an Airbus product. To gain a toehold in the U.S. market, Airbus offers Eastern a 6 months free lease of four A300's with no obligation. The gamble pays off and Eastern orders many more.
    • Founding of German Cargo Services GmbH as a wholly-owned Lufthansa subsidiary.
    • U.S. Congress takes the first legislative steps toward airline economic deregulation in November of 1977, when it gives cargo carriers freedom to operate on any domestic route and charge whatever the market would bear.
    • U.S. Domestic Air Mail as a separate class of service (and its rate structure) is formally eliminated by the successor to the Post Office Department, the United States Postal Service (USPS).
• • 1976
  • • One of Cathay Pacific's B707s is converted into the airline's first pure freighter aircraft.
• • 1975
  • • Boeing 747 Combi concept is introduced.
    • Air Mail within the United States is effectively ended as a distinct service.
    • EASC (European Air Shippers Council, currently known as European Shippers Council - ESC) is founded.
    • In this year KLM welcomed its five thousandth horse on board.
• • 1974
  • • Amerijet International is founded.
• • 1973
  • • TNT conquers Europe and starts express freight services between London and Paris.
    • Federal Express was incorporated in June 1971, and officially begins operations on April 17, 1973, with a fleet of 14 Dassault Falcon 20 jets to ferry parcels from 25 cities to Memphis International Airport.
• • 1972
  • • MASkargo is established in 1972 to handle the delivery of cargo around the world via Malaysia Airlines' global network of routes.
    • Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA) is split into Singapore Airlines and Malaysian Airlines System (MAS).
    • In October, Airbus puts its first plane in the air, the A300
    • Malaysia Airline System Official Launch.
    • Burlington Northern Air Freight, Inc. (BNAFI), a subsidiary of Burlington Northern Railroad, opens for business in ten cities in the United States. In 1986, BNAFI changes its name to Burlington Air Express, and in 1997 to BAX Global.
    • BOAC and British European Airways merge to create British Airways.
    • Biman Bangladesh Airlines is established on 4 January 1972 as Bangladesh's national airline under the Bangladesh Biman Ordinance (Presidential Order No. 126)
    • On the 19th of April, 1972 a Lufthansa Boeing 747 F took off as LH 460 with more than 73,000 kilograms of cargo and almost 2,000 kilograms of mail, on its first scheduled flight from Frankfurt to New York.
• • 1971
  • • Lufthansa orders the first 747-200 freighter, giving commercial air cargo operators their first noseloading aircraft capable of carrying industrial pallets
    • Southwest Airlines is founded.
    • First flight of the CASA C-212 Aviocar STOL medium transport aircraft.
    • First flight of the Ilyushin Il-76.
    • Boeing introduces 747-200 wide-body freighter, combi and convertible versions
• • 1970
  • • Lockheed flies its contender in the wide-body market, the L-1011.
    • Douglas builds its first wide-body, the DC-10
    • Cargolux is established by Luxair, the Salen Shipping Group, Loftleiðir and various private interests in Luxembourg. It starts operations in May 1970 with one Canadair CL-44 freighter flying from Luxembourg to Hong Kong.
    • The World's First Jumbo Jet the 747-100 enters commercial service.
• • 1969
  • • Under pressure of future users, the development of the first wide body aircraft (B747, DC-10 and L-1011) in the late 60's leads to unitization of the holds and the development of a common, standard container.
    • DHL is founded in 1969 to deliver documents between San Francisco and Honolulu.
• • 1968
  • • The World's First Jumbo Jet, the Boeing 747-100, rolls out of factory.
    • First flight of the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy.
• • 1967
  • • Western Air Lines (WAL) acquires Pacific Northern Airlines
    • After 20 years of growth, Ken Thomas joins a major competitor and creates a new company: Thomas Nationwide Transport (TNT).
    • Trans World Airlines (TWA) becomes the first American airline to have a fleet composed entirely of jet aircraft.
• • 1966
  • • UTA establishes a subsidiary company named Compagnie Aéromaritime d'Affrètement to give it a foothold in the rapidly growing passenger and cargo charter markets.
    • Slick Airways is shut down due to a poor financial situation, and the assets are acquired by Airlift International.
    • First flight of the Douglas DC-8 Super 60
• • 1965
  • • Tasman Empire Airways becomes Air New Zealand.
• • 1964
  • • First flight de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo Canadian short takeoff and landing turboprop aircraft.
    • KLM was the first European airline to introduce the Douglas DC-8F air freighter, capable of carrying 35,000 kilograms of cargo.
• • 1963
  • • Union Aéromaritime de Transport (UAT) merges with Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux (TAI) to form Union de Transports Aériens (UTA).
    • First flight of the Lockheed C-141 Starlifter.
    • Alia, the later Royal Jordanian, is founded.
• • 1962
  • • Pan American World Airlines places an order for two 707-321C cargo jets, marking the first cargo jet order in the U.S.
    • The Port of New York Authority, anticipating a mounting volume of air cargo, announces plans to nearly double existing cargo facilities at New York International Airport to 590,000 square feet.
    • Pan American World Airlines places an order for two 707-321C cargo jets, marking the first cargo jet order in the U.S.
    • KLM's activities were expanding fast, especially in freight transportation.
    • The Port of New York Authority, anticipating a mounting volume of air cargo, announces plans to nearly double existing cargo facilities at New York International Airport to 590,000 square feet
• • 1961
  • • New Atlantic Cargo rating by IATA.
    • TNT is listed on the Sydney stock exchange.
    • Venezuelan airline VIASA commences operations.
    • Air Afrique is founded through joint venture involving Air France, Union Aéromaritime de Transport & nine west African nations.
• • 1960
  • • The international wing of Thai Airways is founded.
    • Contracts with United Air Lines and Trans-Texas Airways bring the Railway Express Agency into the airfreight business.
    • A committee of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) in the U.S. launches the first International Air Cargo Forum to explore the needs of the emerging air cargo industry ; later this will lead to the creation of TIACA.
    • Test
• • 1959
  • • According to James Hoffa, head of the Teamsters Union, by 1960, the airfreight industry is going to expand quickly and organization is in the offing. In July, a national committee is formed to work out a campaign to that end.
    • American Airlines is the first airline to offer US coast-to-coast jet service, with the Boeing 707.
    • The Armstrong Whitworth AW 650 Argosy, designed for easy enplaning of large pallets of cargo and outsized loads, makes its first flight. At this time most freight was handled in small pallets or loaded by hand.
• • 1958
  • • Slick Airways suspends all commercial flights, saying it was forced by the government’s failure to give all-cargo carriers “the same permanency of operating rights and quality of treatment enjoyed by the subsidized airlines.”
    • American Airlines creates the the Paul Bunyan Box, the first Unit Load Device.
    • First flight of the Douglas DC-8, a four-engine, narrow-body plane.
    • U.S. Federal Aviation Act ; the legislation created a new safety regulatory agency, the Federal Aviation Agency, later called the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
• • 1957
  • • Private investors take over a financially ailing Seaboard, installing Richard Jackson as chief executive. With New York as a base, he guides Seaboard into a dominant position in trans- Atlantic all-cargo transport.
    • The CAB recommends denial of Railway Express Agency’s applications for authority to act as an international airfreight forwarder, pointing out that REA monopolizes both domestic rail and air express traffic.
    • The "SS-463L" project was developed by a U.S. Air Force committee in 1957 and awarded to the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1959. The "SS-463L Pallet Cargo Handling System" specifications for aircraft (aka "463L") included a "Master Pallet" design.
    • First flight of the Boeing 707 narrow-body four-engine jet airliner.
    • Olympic Airways is created by shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, from the ashes of bankrupt Hellenic state airline T.A.E.
    • Lockheed Super Constellation of Flying Tiger Lines sets a payload record for a commercial aircraft of 41,749 lb (18,936 kg).
    • CSA Czechoslovakian Airlines inaugurates the world's first line served purely by jets.
• • 1956
  • • Reputed to be the biggest and most modern facility of its kind in the world, the new $5.5 million International Air Cargo Center at New York International Airport (Idlewild) is formally dedicated.
    • Dutch airline KLM is the first foreign carrier to purchase American commercial jets with an order for eight DC-8s with costs exceeding $50 million.
    • Northern Air Cargo (NAC) is founded.
    • British independent carrier Airwork Limited suspends trans-Atlantic airfreight service because its North American cargo division was unable to forecast operations at a profit or breakeven point.
    • LAN becomes the first airline to conduct a commercial flight over Antarctica
    • First flight of the Douglas C-133 Cargomaster.
• • 1955
  • • Lufthansa forms anew and makes Hamburg-New York its first resumed commercial service.
    • In the Air Freight Forwarder Investigation, CAB examiner Paul Pfeiffer recommends that the forwarders be permitted to continue operations “indefinitely” despite the “poor financial showing of many of the forwarders.”
    • IATA establishes dangerous goods regulations that allow thousands of goods once banned from aircraft to be shipped by air.
    • Twenty-five minutes after Parke-Davis & Co. signs its license, it starts shipments of the now-historic Salk polio vaccine via Emery Air Freight, with shipments destined for 19 cities cost-to-coast delivered in 14 hours.
    • Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is formed through the merger of a new government-owned carrier with Orient Airways.
    • Sadia S/A – Transportes Aéreos (renamed TransBrasil in 1972) is founded.
• • 1954
  • • Air India Cargo is set up in 1954, and starts its freighter operations with a Douglas DC-3 aircraft, giving Air India the distinction of being the first Asian airline to operate freighters.
    • A new five-year agreement is signed by the Railway Express Agency and 30 domestic, scheduled air carriers and contains one important change, which involves revenue apportionment between REA and the airlines.
    • Air Inter is founded.
    • Two of four surviving US all-freight airlines Slick and Flying Tiger decided to merge into one airline in 1954, but labor problems at both airlines prompt them to abandon this idea.
    • The Air Research Bureau is established on a permanent basis, in Brussels. The name was subsequently changed to the European Airlines Research Bureau and - in 1973 - the AEA.
• • 1953
  • • Twelve certified airfreight forwarders, which are said to handle the majority of air cargo volumes in the U.S., form the Air Freight Forwarders Association.
    • Slick Airways President Thomas Grace predicts that by 2003, “airfreight rates will be approximately one-third of what they are today in terms of today’s dollar. Airfreight may be cheaper than motor freight.”
    • American pioneers nonstop transcontinental service in both directions across the United States with the Douglas DC-7 .
    • UPS resumes air service, offering two-day service to major cities on the East and West coasts. Packages flew in the cargo holds of regularly scheduled airlines.
    • Japan Airlines is founded.
• • 1952
  • • The Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) is created as part of the United States's mobility resources.
    • The Air Express division of Railway Express Agency marks its 25th anniversary of flying airmail and air express on regular schedules.
    • Nippon Helicopter, later to become All Nippon Airways (ANA), is founded.
    • US Patent 2.612.994 is issued to Norman Woodland and Bernard Silver for the first barcoding system. The application described both the linear and bullseye printing patterns, as well as the mechanical and electronic systems needed to read the code.
• • 1951
  • • Japan Air Lines Co., Ltd. is established, with the government of Japan recognizing the need for a reliable air transportation system to help Japan grow in the aftermath of the World War II.
• • 1950
  • • The Flying Tigers inaugurates worldwide air cargo service on a daily basis from Philadelphia International Airport.
• • 1949
  • • Union Aéromaritime de Transport (UAT) is founded.
    • First flight of the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II.
    • In August 1949, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) finally gave permission to four all-freight airlines to operate. These were Slick, Flying Tiger, U.S. Airlines, and Airnews.
    • The de Havilland DH 106 Comet 1 prototype makes its first flight and becomes the first production commercial jetliner.
  • Southern Air Transport (SAT) was incorporated in Florida on 31 October 1949, by F.C. "Doc" Moor, a pilot who had flown for a number of airlines, including PanAm. (The airline is not related to the Southern Air Transport est. in 1929.)
• • 1948
  • • The Civil Aeronautics Board sets up a new category of “indirect air carriers” with a common carriage license to Emery Air Freight.
    • Pan Am predicts that within a decade, air cargo revenues will equal those from air passengers.
    • Aircargo (now called Air Canada Cargo) officially hits the skies.
    • The New York International Airport begins operations on the site of the former Idlewild Golf Course in the outskirts of New York City.
    • Berlin Airlift operation.
• • 1947
  • • American Airlines President Ralph Damon says the carrier’s greatest potential area of expansion is “the field of commoncarrier air cargo operation.”
    • A civil aviation agreement is signed by the U.S. and China, under which airlines of each nation will receive reciprocal landing rights and transit rights in the other’s territory. Pan American, Trans World and Northwest will operate in China.
    • Arrow Air is founded.
    • Southern Air Transport (SAT) is formed. SAT is best known as a front company for the Central Intelligence Agency and became a subsidiary of the CIA's airline proprietary network, the Pacific Corporation.
    • Malayan Airways is founded.
    • First fully pressurized planes.
    • First flight of Alitalia - Italian International Airlines- on the route Turin - Rome-Catania with a three-engined Fiat G-12.
    • ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) comes into being.
    • Experimental helicopter mail delivery service begins in the New York City area.
• • 1946
  • • Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux (TAI) is founded.
    • TNT is founded.
    • The Airborne Flower Traffic Association of California is founded to fly fresh flowers from Hawaii to the mainland U.S.
    • Cathay Pacific Airways is founded.
    • Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. is established as Aerolinee Italiane Internazionali, more commonly known as Alitalia, an Italian portmanteau of the words ali (wings) and Italia (Italy). It starts operations on 5 May 1947,
    • Seaboard World Airlines is founded as Seaboard & Western Airlines founded by the brothers Arthur and Ray Norden.
    • SAS is formed from Det Danske Luftfartselskab A/S (DDL), Det Norske Luftfartselskap A/S (DNL) and Svensk Interkontinetal Lufttrafik AB (SILA).
    • KLM is the first European airline to start scheduled services to New york after the second world war.
    • Korean National Airlines is founded. The company is replaced by Korean Air Lines in 1962, and later changes its name to Korean Air in 1984.
    • Slick Airways is founded as the air cargo division of the Slick Corporation by Earl F. Slick
    • Emery Air Freight is founded as a freight-forwarding operation by navy veteran John Colvin Emery, Sr., who rejoined civilian life with experience in military air transport service.
• • 1945
  • • Riddle Airlines is founded by John Paul Riddle in 1945 in Miami, Florida as a charter and freight airline. In 1965, it became Airlift International.
    • First flight of the Douglas C-74 Globemaster. Designed as a heavy-lift, long-range military transport to support global logistics. Only 14 were built due to post-war cutbacks, but it laid groundwork for its successor the C-124 Globemaster II.
    • First flight of the Bristol Type 170 Freighter. A British twin-engine aircraft featuring a nose-loading ramp, facilitating the transport of vehicles and bulky cargo. Its design catered to both military and civilian needs, eventually serving as an air ferry for cars and passengers across short distances.
    • Operational expansion of the Avro York. Adapted from the Lancaster bomber, the York became the first British aircraft used extensively by RAF Transport Command. It played a crucial role in post-war troop and cargo transport, notably on routes between England and India.
    • Established by former WW2 pilots, Flying Tiger Line became the 1st scheduled cargo airline in the U.S. Starting with surplus military aircraft, it provided coast-to-coast freight services and military logistics during the occupation of Japan.
    • As the end of World War II nears, Lufthansa ceases operations and is liquidated.
    • US Army Air Forces Fair, October 13, 1945. Held at Wright Field, Ohio, this fair showcased wartime aviation advancements, including cargo aircraft and logistics technologies, to over a million visitors, highlighting the potential of air transport in peacetime applications.
    • By the end of the war, the ATC operated a huge fleet of 3,700 aircraft with 209,000 military and 104,000 civilian personnel. In its last full month of operation (July 1945) alone, the ATC delivered 100,000 tons of #cargo and transported 275,000 high-value passengers, particularly VIPs and wounded servicemen, with most on overseas flights.
    • Establishment of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) April 19, 1945. Formed by 57 airlines in Havana, IATA aimed to standardize international air transport, facilitating the growth of global air cargo and air mail services.
• • 1944
  • • On October 15, 1944, American Airlines launched the world's first scheduled air cargo flight. A Douglas DC-3 transported over 6,000 pounds of cargo from LaGuardia Field in New York to Burbank, California, marking a pivotal moment in commercial air freight history.
    • Founding of ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization). The Chicago Conference on November 1, 1944, attended by 52 Allied and neutral states, resulted in the signing of the Convention on International Civil Aviation on December 7, 1944.
    • During the war, many airlines had more business than they could handle, and also had opportunities to pioneer new routes, gaining an exposure that would give them a decidedly broader outlook at war's end.
    • Airfield development. At the start of the war, there were very few airports that could support military operations. Throughout the war, aerodromes were rapidly constructed all over participating nations. Many of these became civil aviation bases after the war, heralding the move from flying boats for long-haul operations to modern land planes.
    • British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) began operating the Avro York, a transport aircraft derived from the Lancaster bomber, for civilian use. The first civilian York received its airworthiness certificate on February 21, 1944, and commenced service on routes including the UK-Morocco-Cairo corridor.
    • Operation Carpetbagger. Initiated on January 4, 1944, Operation Carpetbagger was a clandestine mission by the U.S. Army Air Forces to supply resistance fighters in occupied Europe with weapons and equipment via aerial drops. This operation underscored the strategic use of air cargo in unconventional warfare.
    • Red Ball Express. Launched on August 25, 1944, the Red Ball Express was a truck convoy system established by the Allies to expedite the movement of supplies from the Normandy beaches to advancing front-line units. At its peak, it operated nearly 6,000 vehicles, delivering approximately 12,500 tons of supplies daily, highlighting the integration of ground and air logistics in wartime supply chains.
    • The Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed for heavy cargo and troop transport, had its maiden flight on September 10, 1944. Featuring a rear-loading ramp and twin-boom design, it represented a significant advancement in military airlift capabilities.
    • First Flight of the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter. On November 9, 1944, the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter took to the skies for the first time. Developed from the B-29 bomber, this aircraft was designed for long-range heavy cargo transport, featuring a distinctive "double-bubble" fuselage to accommodate large payloads.
    • Development of the Heinkel Wespe. In 1944, German engineers conceptualized the Heinkel Wespe, an early VTOL aircraft design featuring a central rotor system. Although it never progressed beyond the design phase, the Wespe represented innovative thinking in aircraft design aimed at overcoming the limitations of traditional runways.
• • 1943
  • • United Airlines launches DC-3 "Cargolines" service from New York to San Francisco in October.
    • "Flying the Hump" - The Hump was the name given by Allied pilots in WW2 to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they flew military transport aircraft from India to China to resupply the Chinese war effort of Chiang Kai-shek and the units of the USAAF based in China.
    • Operation Matterhorn Logistics. Operation Matterhorn focused on deploying B-29's for strategic bombing missions from India and China, underscoring the logistical challenges of long-range bombing campaigns incl. the importance of robust air cargo support (also via the Hump).
    • The ATC expanded its global network, establishing routes across the North Atlantic to support Allied operations in Europe. These routes were crucial for transporting supplies, personnel, and evacuating the wounded.
• • 1942
  • • Canadian Pacific Railway Company purchases ten bush airlines in a short time span, finishing with the purchase of Canadian Airways in 1942, to form Canadian Pacific Air Lines. It will later operate under the name CP Air.
    • First edition of "Air Transportation" magazine, the world's first air cargo magazine and the forerunner of "Air Cargo World", later rebranded "Air Cargo Next" is published in October 1942.
    • American Airlines introduces the first U.S. transcontinental all-cargo air service with DC-3 freighters.
    • The US Air Corps Ferrying Command is renamed Air Transport Command (ATC), unifying all Army air transportation under one command and becoming the strategic airlift component of the United States Army Air Forces.
• • 1941
  • • Attack on Pearl Harbor draws the United States into war, creating the immediate challenge to supply several worldwide areas and theaters of war by sea, air and land.
    • The Lend-Lease Act was a policy under which the US supplied Allied nations of WW2 with food, oil, and materiel free of charge on the basis that such help was essential for the defense of the US, creating a need to manage these supply lines.
    • Ferrying Command, later evolved into Air Transport Command, came into being in conjunction with the Lend-Lease Act, legislation that allowed the US to provide military equipment to countries already engaged in war against the Axis.
    • As from 1941 the British and American forces start defining secure main air supply routes over which men and supplies could be moved to the WWII battlefronts. It would become part of the Allies' key to victory.
    • Arguably the earliest "true" cargo aircraft as we recognize it today, is a WW2 German design, the Arado Ar 232. It had a box-like fuselage, a high wing, a rear loading ramp, a high-mounted twin tail and features to operate from rough fields.
    • The “Big Four” U.S. airlines—United, American, TWA, and Eastern—formed Air Cargo, Inc., to deliver #airfreight. It operated during much of the war until 1944. Several airlines started independent air freight services by the war's end.
• • 1940
  • • United Airlines began what some historians consider the first all-cargo service in the US with its flight to Chicago from New York, just before the beginning of World War II. During the war, the firm would transport almost 200,000 tons of personnel and materials.
    • SCADTA, under ownership by United States businessmen, merges with Colombian Air Carrier SACO, (acronym of Servicio Aéreo Colombiano), forming the new Aerovías Nacionales de Colombia S.A. or Avianca.
    • First flight of the Curtiss C-46 Commando, a low-wing, twin-engine aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurized high-altitude airliner design. It was used primarily as a #cargo aircraft during WW2, with fold-down seating for military transport.
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• • 1938
  • • U.S. Civil Aeronautics Act ; one new central agency gets the power to regulate the airline industry. In 1958, it will integrate in the FAA, an independent agency combining scattered safety responsibilities.
• • 1937
  • • Canada's first airline is created: Trans-Canada Air Lines, later to become Air Canada. Passenger flights began on 1 September 1937, with an Electra carrying two passengers and #airmail from Vancouver to Seattle, a $14.20 round trip.
    • Pan American World Airways and Imperial Airways flying boats conduct joint survey flights over the Atlantic Ocean in preparation for the commencement of regular airmail and passenger services two years later.
    • Sir Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft at the British Thomson-Houston factory in Rugby, England; some years earlier than Germany's Hans von Ohain (first one to fly) as well as Austria’s Anselm Franz.
• • 1936
  • • The Bureau of Air Commerce begins to develop a nationwide air traffic control system in the United States, assuming operation of the 1935 Newark facility and two new ones established at Chicago and Cleveland.
    • The British Empire's Empire Air Mail Scheme, in which Imperial Airways carries all first-class mail by air, begins its first service, flying from Alexandria, Egypt.
    • Spanish airlift, the first ever large-scale military transport by air, performed by Germany and Italy to support the Spanish Nationalist faction. It will transport 14,000 men and 270 tons #aircargo war materiel during 85 days.
    • American Airlines is the first airline to fly the Douglas DC-3 in commercial service.
    • Imperial Airways opens a trans-Africa route between Khartoum and Kano in Nigeria. This route was extended to Lagos later in the same year.
    • American trade association and lobbying group ATA (Air Transport Association of America, today's A4A - Airlines for America) is founded.
• • 1935
  • • Pan American World Airways commences the first regular transpacific airmail service, flying the Martin M-130 China Clipper from San Francisco to Manila, via Honolulu, Midway Atoll, Wake Island, and Guam, delivering over 110,000 pieces of mail.
    • The first company to bear the name British Airways Ltd is formed, by the merger of Hillman's Airways, Spartan Air Lines and United Airways Ltd.
    • A Pan American World Airways Sikorsky S-42 makes the first airline survey flight from California to Hawaii, departing from San Francisco and arriving at Pearl Harbor. It is the start of an orderly commercial air transportation system in the Pacific Ocean.
    • Eventually, the two companies REA and General Air Express, found it useful to combine their operations. Beginning in February 1935, they operated as one.
    • In 1935 Pan American started specification for a flying boat, larger than the Martin M-130, and capable of providing regular service across the North Atlantic Ocean. PanAm accepted Boeing 's model 314 proposal one year later.
    • The first air traffic control tower in the USA was established in 1935 at what is now Newark International Airport in New Jersey.
• • 1934
  • • Western Air Express was severed from TWA again and changed its name to General Air Lines, returning to the name Western Air Express after several months. Its route map ran San Diego to Los Angeles to Salt Lake City.
    • Following the Air Mail Act, United Aircraft and Transport breaks into three separate companies, and United Airlines now becomes a separate company.
    • Lufthansa launched a scheduled transatlantic airmail service from Germany (Berlin) to South America (Buenos Aires), a distance of more than 13,000 km in just 6 days, flown in numerous stages, and with a wide range of aircraft types.
    • Imperial Airways extends its airmail service to Australia, with Qantas responsible for the Singapore to Brisbane sector.
    • Inter-Island Airways (the later Hawaiian Airlines) makes the first interisland air mail flight in the Hawaiian Islands under a United States Post Office contract.
    • Aeronaves de México (Aeroméxico) is founded
    • Varney Speed Lines flies for the first time between El Paso and Pueblo carrying 100 letters and no passengers. The airline will eventually become Continental Airlines.
    • In the United States, the Air Mail Act of 1934 closely regulates the contracting of air mail services and prohibits aircraft manufacturers from owning airlines. The entire industry is now reorganized and refocused.
    • Highland Airways commences the first regular airmail service within the United Kingdom, between Inverness and Kirkwall.
    • French Aéropostale begins the first regular airmail service across the South Atlantic Ocean with Couzinet 71 aircraft.
    • After the Air Mail Act was implemented in June 1934, AVCO broke up and sold off a significant share of American Airways. On the back of this change, American Airways switches its name to American Airlines, Inc.
    • The United States Army Air Corps begins flying US airmail after the government cancels all existing airmail contracts due to alleged improprieties by the previous administration during the negotiations of those contracts.
    • The first airmail flight between Australia and New Zealand is made by Charles Ulm in an Avro Ten, taking 14 hours 10 minutes.
    • Germany begins a regular #airmail service between Africa and South America, employing Dornier flying boats catapulted from depot ships. Various Dornier flying boats will complete over 300 crossings before the outbreak of WW II in 1939.
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• • 1933
  • • Boeing develops model 247, an all-metal, fast twin-engine airplane and the first modern passenger airliner, and the first airliner with retractable undercarriage. It also had control surface trim tabs, an autopilot and de-icing boots.
    • • British Empire Air Mail Scheme was conceived, to carry all 1st class #airmail through the Empire at a fixed rate. The scheme began 1937 to South Africa, 2nd stage to India and Malaya began in 1938 and 3rd stage to Australia in 1938.
    • Viação Aérea São Paulo S/A (São Paulo Airways), better known as VASP, is established.
    • Air France was formed on 30 August 1933 as a merger of Air Orient, Air Union, Compagnie Générale Aéropostale, Compagnie Internationale de Navigation Aérienne (CIDNA), and Société Générale de Transport Aérien (SGTA).
    • Douglas developes an all metal twin engined airplane, the DC-1, DC-2, and later the DC-3 for #TWA, to compete with the Boeing 247 for #UnitedAirlines. DC-2's for European airlines were purchased and re-assembled via Fokker in the Netherlands.
    • Indian National Airways Ltd is started by Govan Bros Ltd. The airline was formed on the basis of a government #airmail contract. In 1953, Indian National Airways was nationalised and merged into Indian Airlines.
    • Turkish Airlines was established on 20 May 1933 as Turkish State Airlines (Turkish: Devlet Hava Yolları), a department of the Ministry of National Defense.
    • KLM Fokker F.XVIII PH-API 'Pelikaan' performs a record return flight between The Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), delivering Christmas airmail. The flight had lasted 4 days, 4 hours and 35 minutes.
• • 1932
  • • Pan American World Airways announces plans to offer service to Hawaii. Contracts were signed on October 1, 1932 with Sikorsky for 3 S-42 airplanes. 1st flight took place in 1935.
    • Misr Airwork, the predecessor of #Egyptair started operations May 7th 1932 as the 1st airline in the Middle East and Africa and the 7th airline in the world to join IATA.
    • Imperial Airways' weekly airmail service is extended through Africa as far as Cape Town.
    • General Air Express is founded by TWA, American Airways and some other airlines. Pick-ups and deliveries were contracted to Postal Telegraph Co. It was another early promotor of aircargo in the U.S.
    • U.S. Department of Commerce constructs 83 radio beacons across the country, becoming fully operational in 1932, automatically transmitting directional beams, or tracks, that pilots could follow to their destination.
• • 1931
  • • Transportes Aéreos del Continente Americano, S.A. (TACA) is founded in 1931 by New Zealander Lowell Yerex. It operated as Avianca El Salvador, the country's flag carrier.
    • Swissair is formed by the merger of Ad Astra Aero and Balair. For most of its 71 years, it was one of the major international airlines and known as the "Flying Bank" due to its financial stability - regarded as a Swiss national symbol and icon.
    • KLM introduces first Jumbo freighter. Ordered in 1927 as a specialised freighter for KLM, the Jumbo was a large single-engined biplane fitted with two large cargo doors, manufactured by the Dutch Werkspoor company.
• • 1930
  • • Transcontinental Air Transport (T-A-T) and Western Air Express form Transcontinental & Western Air (T&WA or: TWA). In 1950 the airline officially changed its name to Trans World Airlines.
    • Many innovations take place in the thirties to make aircraft bigger, faster and safer. In these challenging times, airlines needed bigger, better, and faster planes that could profitably fly passengers as well as airmail and aircargo
    • U.S. Watres Act ; authorizes the Post Office to enter into longer-term contracts for airmail, with rates based on space or volume, rather than weight, to promote larger, stronger airlines, and more coast-to-coast and nighttime service.
    • The Aviation Corporation's airline subsidiaries are incorporated and rebranded into American Airways. In 1934, the corporation redid its routes into a connected system and was renamed American Airlines
    • Sabena launched its first overnight airmail service between Brussels and London. The Fokkker D.VII was piloted by pioneering pilot Prosper Cocquyt, the first Belgian pilot with a certificate for instrument flying.
• • 1929
  • • Pan American-Grace Airways, better known as Panagra, is formed as a joint venture between Pan American World Airways and Grace Shipping Company to bid on a contract for Foreign #AirMail Route No. 9, from Panama down the West Coast of South America to Chile.
    • First official airmail and aircargo flight to the Mackenzie District of Canada's western Arctic by bushpilot C.H. "Punch" Dickins: 1st to fly the full length of the Mackenzie River, some 2,000 miles (3,200 km) in 2 days and cross the Arctic Circle.
    • The Low Frequency Radio Range system (LFR) begins to replace the visual Air Beacon system. It will become the main navigation system used by aircraft for instrument flying.
    • The United Aircraft and Transport Corporation is formed. The airline interests are soon grouped under a new management company known as United Air Lines, Inc. However, the individual airlines continue to operate under their own names.
    • Inter-Island Airways – the future Hawaiian Airlines – commences operations.
    • United States Army Air Corps Lieutenant Jimmy Doolittle makes a completely blind take-off, flight, and landing in a Consolidated NY-2 biplane equipped with specially designed radio and aeronautical instrumentation.
    • Luft Hansa uses a catapult to launch a Heinkel He 12 mail plane from the passenger liner Bremen, 400 km (248 miles; 216 nautical miles) out of New York, New York, speeding the mail on its way before the ship reaches port.
    • Delta Air Lines starts commercial airline operations. Delta Air Service was incorporated on December 3, 1928, and was named after the Mississippi Delta region.
    • Imperial Airways commences the first scheduled air service between England and India.
    • LAN Airlines begins service as “Línea Aeropostal Santiago – Arica”, commercial name "LAN Chile", to fly airmail and passengers. Later it became part of LATAM.
    • Another company that was an early promoter of air cargo was American Railway Express (renamed Railway Express Agency or REA in March 1929).
    • Southern Air Transport is formed when businessman A. P. Barrett consolidated Texas Air Transport and several other small aviation companies. Later that year SAT came under the control of the Aviation Corp., the company that organized American Airlines.
    • LOT Polish Airlines is founded, legally incorporated as Polskie Linie Lotnicze #LOT S.A.
    • By 1929, the volume of freight had grown to 257,443 pounds (116,774 kilograms), and by 1931 to more than 1 million pounds (453,592 kilograms) per year.
    • The Universal Postal Union (UPU) adopts comprehensive rules for airmail at its 1929 Postal Union Congress in London.
• • 1928
  • • The famous German pilot Gunther Plüschow carries out the first air mail from Puntas Arenas to Ushuaia, in the southern part of Argentina.
    • US Foreign Air Mail Act passed; leads to formation of Pan American, which begins by transporting mail to & from South America.
    • New York City decides to build its first municipal airport. It was not a commercial success due to the #airmail contracts being awarded to flights at Newark Airport (EWR) across the river and the lengthy travel time to get to the airport.
    • US Government passes a law that said that an airplane producer can not be an airline at the same time. Boeing Air Transport purchased several other smaller airlines and became United Air Transport.
• • 1927
  • • Iberia, Compañía Aérea de Transporte, was formally founded on June 28, 1927. In the company’s first decade #Iberia linked major cities on the Spanish mainland, the Canary Islands, and North Africa.
    • Germany's lead in commercial aviation is such that during the year German airlines fly greater distances with more passengers than the airlines of France, Italy, and the United Kingdom combined.
    • Pan American World Airways launches its first scheduled international air service, a 70-minute flight from Key West, Florida, to Havana, Cuba.
    • Jat Airways (JAT - Jugoslovenski Aerotransport) is founded on 17 June 1927 as Aeroput.
    • Sociedade Anônima Empresa de Viação Aérea Rio-Grandense – VARIG, the first national airline of Brazil, is founded.
    • Pan American Airways is formed to carry airmail on the Key West-Havana route.
    • Boeing Air Transport is formed, to carry airmail between Chicago and San Francisco. It eventually will become United Airlines.
• • 1926
  • • National Air Transport, one of the companies that originally made up United Airlines, was founded on November 14, 1926, for the purpose of carrying parcels.
    • Northwest Airlines is founded, under the name Northwest Airways.
    • Two Luft Hansa Junkers G.24s leave Berlin to make a round-trip to Beijing. They will return on September 26.
    • FIATA (International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations) is founded, a non-governmental organisation representing freight forwarders worldwide.
    • Western Air Express begins airmail operations with flights between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. The company is later renamed Western Airlines.
    • Varney Air Lines Chief Pilot Leon Cuddeback flew the first scheduled, civilian airmail (Contract Air Mail) flight in the U.S. on April 6. Varney Speed Lines will later become Continental Airlines.
    • Deutsche Luft Hansa AG is founded by the merger of Deutscher Aero Lloyd and Junkers Luftverkehr. #Lufthansa, today's German flag carrier, acquired the name and logo of the airline when founded in 1953.
    • The first amendment offered to the Kelly Act of 1925 was a change in subsidy payments. As of June 3, 1926, contractors were paid $3.00 per pound of #airmail for the first 1,000 miles traveled, and 30 cents per pound per next 100 miles.
    • U.S. Air Commerce Act passes, after which the government becomes regulator of commercial aviation.
• • 1925
  • • Western Air Express is founded, later to become Western Airlines.
    • The first five airmail contracts are signed in the USA. Airlines include Colonial Air, Robertson, Varney, Western Air and National.
    • Sabena establishes the 1st airline connection between Belgium and the Belgian Congo. The Handley-Page W8 F biplane left Brussels in February and completed its journey in 75 hrs flying time (over 50 days).
    • CIDNA ("The International Air Navigation Company"; French: Compagnie Internationale De Navigation Aérienne) is formed from CFRNA. It operated pax airmail and cargo services until 1933, when it merged with three other airlines to form Air France.
    • Henry Ford's express company carried 1 million pounds of company airmail and freight for the Ford Company at it's start in 1925. The 1st airfreight service for a commercial company and the 1st to maintain a regular schedule.
    • The U.S. Contract Air Mail Act, also known as the Kelly Act, intended to free the airmail from total control by the Post Office Department. It allowed the Postmaster General to contract private companies to carry mail.
    • Huff Daland Dusters, the predecessor of #DeltaAirLines, is founded. Later Huff Daland operates the first international #airmail and passenger route on the west coast of South America for #PanAm subsidiary Peruvian Airways.
• • 1924
  • • A KLM Fokker F.VII makes the first flight from the Netherlands to the Dutch East Indies, taking 127 hours 16 minutes.
    • Canada's first regular airmail service begins, with Laurentide Air Services linking Haileybury, Ontario, with Rouyn, Quebec.
    • The first daily Transcontinental AirMail service involving both day and night flying over an entire route was opened on July 1, 1924, which reduced the time of the trip from more than 70 hours to a schedule of 34-32 hours west- vs eastbound.
    • Imperial Airways is formed, with the backing of the British government.
    • Pateras Pesara flies an experimental helicopter in Paris. The machine flies 800 metres (2,640 ft) in just over 10 minutes.
• • 1923
  • • The first electric Airway Beacons (a rotating light on a tower for visual navigation by airplane pilots along a specified airway corridor) start appearing at airfields in the United States to assist in night flying operations.
    • The Czechoslovakian airline CSA commences operations.
    • The Belgian airline SABENA is formed, adding new European routes to SNETA's routes in Belgian Congo that it takes over.
    • Dobrolyot is formed, as the first Soviet civil aviation service. It will later become part of Aeroflot.
    • Air Union is created by the merger of Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes (CMA) with Grands Express Aériens (CGEA).
• • 1922
  • • Malert (Magyar Legiforgalmi), a forerunner of MALÉV Hungarian Airlines, is formed.
    • After several airmail contests in 1921, Japan's first airmail service commences, linking Sakai, Osaka, and Tokushima.
• • 1921
  • • Compañía #Mexicana de Aviación begins service. Initially transporting passengers, it starts carrying #airmail a few laters in 1928.
    • Australia's first airmail contract is awarded to Norman (later Sir) Brearley's Western Australian Airlines (WAA).
    • The Spanish airline Compañía Española de Tráfico Aéreo is established. It will eventually form part of the airline Iberia. The first commercial flights were dedicated, exclusively, to the transport of correspondence or airmail.
    • The U.S. Army deploys rotating beacons in a line between Columbus and Dayton, Ohio, a distance of about 80 miles. The beacons, visible to pilots at 10-second intervals, made it possible to fly the route at night.
• • 1920
  • • Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Ltd (Qantas) was formed by Hudson Fysh and Paul McGinness in Winton, Queensland.
    • Out of a need for order and regulation after increasing traffic and a few incidents and near misses the first Control Tower was commissioned at Croydon Airport, UK. Shortly after the first Air Traffic Controller was certified.
    • The United States Post Office awards a contract for international air mail to Florida West Indies Airways (F.W.I.A.), one month later bought by Aeromarine West Indies Airways.
    • The first airmail service established officially by an airline occurs in Colombia, South America, by SCADTA (the later Avianca).
    • Aviator Edward Hubbard is awarded the first contract international air mail route, from Seattle, Washington, to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He will employ the Boeing B-1 flying boat on the route.
    • CFRNA ("The French-Romanian Company for Air Transport"; French: Compagnie Franco-Roumaine de Navigation Aérienne) was a French–Romanian airline, founded on 1 January 1920, the first operative transcontinental airline in the history of aviation.
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• • 1919
  • • The Swiss airline Ad Astra Aero S.A. is founded in Zürich, Switzerland. The company will later merge with Balair and together become Swissair.
    • Avianca is founded as the Sociedad Colombo-Alemana de Transporte Aéreo (SCADTA) in Barranquilla. It is the first commercial airline founded in Latin America and the second in the world.
    • In 1919, American Railway Express used a converted Handley-Page bomber in an attempt to fly 1,100 pounds (500 kilograms) of freight from Washington, D.C., to Chicago.
    • West Indies Airways begins service between Key West, Florida, and Havana, Cuba.
    • Dutch Royal Airlines for the Netherlands and its Colonies (Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij voor Nederland en Koloniën - KLM) is founded.
    • London's first airport is opened, at Hounslow Heath Aerodrome. The facilities include a permanent Customs hall.
    • Royal Air Force Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown make the first successful non-stop Atlantic crossing by air, flying a Vickers Vimy from St. John's, Newfoundland, to Clifden, County Galway, Ireland in 16 hours.
    • A Fairey IIIC seaplane is used for a regular newspaper run, carrying the Evening Times to towns along the Kent coast of England.
    • CMA (Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes) commences a mail and freight service between Paris and Lille, using ex-military Breguet 14s.
    • The first U.S. international airmail is carried between Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and Seattle, Washington, in the United States by William Boeing in a Boeing CL-4S.
• • 1918
  • • Royal Flying Corps Captain R. M. Smith, Brigadier General A. E. Borton, and Major General W. Salmond set out in a Handley Page O/400 from Heliopolis to Karachi, to survey a route for airmail to India.
    • In the aftermath of the First World War the Royal Engineers (Postal Section) and the Royal Air Force pioneered a scheduled airmail service between Folkestone, Kent and Cologne, Germany.
    • The Danish airline Det Danske Luftfartselskab, the oldest airline that still exists (within SAS), is founded.
    • The first scheduled Canadian airmail flight is made, between Montreal and Toronto. The flight was a publicity stunt, sponsored by the Aerial League of the British Empire, who were eager to promote the idea of using aircraft for civilian purposes like mail delivery. In 1918, it was still a novel idea and being tested around the world. 
    • The first regularly scheduled airmail service in the United States is inaugurated over a route between Washington, D.C. and New York City, with an intermediate stop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Actual first flight took place in May 15, 1918.
    • The first regular international airmail service begins, with Hansa-Brandenburg C.I aircraft linking Vienna, Lviv, Proskurov, and Kiev.
• • 1917
  • • In an attempt to deliver supplies to ground forces in East Africa, the German Navy Zeppelin L 59 makes a 6,757 km (4,196 mile) journey 95 hours 5 minutes continuously in the air at an average speed of 71 km/h (44 mph) ; a new aircraft endurance record.
• • 1916
  • • Ruth Law sets a new distance record for cross-country flight by flying 590 miles (950 km) non-stop from Chicago to New York State. She flies on to New York City the next day.
    • William Boeing founds the Pacific Aero Products Company. In 1917 it will be renamed Boeing Airplane Company.
    • British Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service aircraft deliver 13 tons of stores into Kut el Amara, Mesopotamia, while it is besieged by the Turks. It is the first time aircraft are used for such a purpose.
• • 1914
  • • The St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line starts services between St. Petersburg and Tampa, Florida, becoming the first airline to provide regular services with heavier-than-air aircraft, with Anthony Jannus conveying passengers in a Benoist XIV flying boat.
• • 1912
  • • First successful all-metal aircraft flies, the Tubavion monoplane built by Ponche and Maurice Primard in France.
• • 1911
  • • The first U.S. airmail flight is made. Earle Ovington flies 6 miles (9.7 km) from Nassau Boulevard, New York to Mineola, Long Island.
    • The world's first scheduled airmail post service took place in the United Kingdom between the London suburb of Hendon, North London, and Windsor, Berkshire.
    • The first ever commercial cargo is flown by Horatio Barber in his Valkyrie B tail-first monoplane. The General Electric company pays £100 to have a box of Osram electric lamps flown from Shoreham to Hove in England.
    • The world's second airmail flight came when French pilot Henri Pequet carried 6,500 letters a distance of 13 km (8.1 mi) from Allahabad, to Naini, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, India, then part of the British Empire.
    • The first "quasi-official" airmail flight was conducted by Fred Wiseman, who carried three letters between Petaluma and Santa Rosa, California.
• • 1910
  • • The first commercial transport flight with an airplane took place on November 7, 1910, when Phil O. Parmalee carried two bolts of silk on his Wright Model B from Dayton to Columbus, Ohio.

Are you looking for further articles on the history of air cargo and air freight forwarding , then take a look at the following links:

• 75th Anniversary: ACW through the decades
• Air cargo - the-beginnings 
• The history of air cargo and airmail from the 18th century
• History of Air Mail
• History of Airmail
• Air Mail Odyssey 1918-2008 
• 100 years of air cargo - The History of Air Cargo 
• The Air Cargo Industry - A Brief History of the All Cargo Airlines
• Seven thrilling decades of air cargo (ACW) 
• Back-Pages (ACW) 

•  A weighty lesson from history for forwarders
• History of Express package delivery industry 
• Package delivery history 
• History of Freight Forwarding 

• Aviation history
• Airline deregulation history 

• History of Cargo aircraft

• Air France - A century of Air Cargo
• Delta museum (including the history of Delta, Chicago & Southern Airlines, Northeast Airlines, Western Airlines, Pan Am, Northwest Airlines)
• Lufthansa Cargo - The history of ...
• Pan Am Series – Part XXVII: Clipper Cargo
• Pan Am Series – Part XXVIII: Clipper Cargo – 2
• Tradewind Carribean Airlines - History of KLM
• Aerophilately & Pioneer Aviation

[last updated: Apr 01, 2025]