Jet Age - Aviation History

Aviation History

The de Havilland Comet was the first jet airliner to fly, the first in service in 1952 and the first to offer a trans-Atlantic jet service. One hundred and fourteen of all versions were built but the Comet 1 had serious design problems, and out of nine original aircraft, four crashed (one at takeoff and three broke up in flight), which grounded the entire fleet. The Comet 4 solved these problems but the program was overtaken by the Boeing 707 on the trans-Atlantic run. The Comet 4 was developed into the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod which retired in June 2011. The first successful jet-powered airliner was the Tupolev Tu-104.

The first five jet airliners to fly were:

1. The UK de Havilland Comet, 1949
2. The Canadian Avro Jetliner, later in 1949
3. The French Sud Aviation Caravelle, 1955
4. The Soviet/Russian Tupolev Tu-104, 1955
5. The US Boeing 707, 1957

The first five in service were:

1. The UK de Havilland Comet, 1952
2. The Soviet/Russian Tupolev Tu-104, 1956
3. The US Boeing 707, 1958
4. The French Sud Aviation Caravelle, 1959
5. The US Douglas DC-8, 1959

(The Canadian Avro Jetliner never achieved commercial service)

Following the grounding of the Comet 1, the Tu-104 became the first jet airliner to provide a sustained service and it was the only jet airliner in operation between 1956 and 1958 (when the Comet 4 and Boeing 707 entered service). The plane was operated by Aeroflot (from 1956) and Czech Airlines ČSA (from 1957). ČSA became the first airline in the world to fly jet-only routes (using the Tu-104A).

The first western jet airliner with significant commercial success was the Boeing 707. It began service on the New York to London route in 1958, the first year that more trans-Atlantic passengers traveled by air than by ship. The Boeing 747, the 'Jumbo jet', was the first widebody aircraft, reducing the cost of flying and further accelerating the jet age.