COMPANYHISTORIES
NAIC 48819

Other Support Activities for Air Transportation

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

38companies1919–1996founding years34still active4no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedFlying Boat, Inc. (Chalk's Ocean Airways)
1919
FoundedCeské aerolinie, a.s.FoundedSabena S.A./N.V.
1923
1927
TechnologyLindbergh flies the Atlantic solo, and aviation captures the public.
FoundedLOT Polish Airlines (Polskie Linie Lotnicze S.A.)
1929
FoundedGrupo TACA
1931
FoundedIcelandair
1937
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedTAP
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedBradley Air Services Ltd.
1946
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedPetroleum Helicopters, Inc.
1949
FoundedKuwait Airways Corporation
1954
FoundedPakistan International Airlines Corporation
1955
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedChina Airlines
1959
FoundedTAM Linhas Aéreas S.A.
1961
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedAir Wisconsin Airlines Corporation
1965
FoundedPenauille Polyservices SA
1970
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedAir Methods Corporation
1980
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
FoundedAtlantic Coast Airlines Holdings, Inc.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
FoundedAir Sahara Limited
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
TechnologyGPS opens to civilian use, turning location into a utility.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Flying Boat, Inc. (Chalk's Ocean Airways) →
Active · founded 1919
Flying Boat, Inc., which does business under the trade name Chalk's Ocean Airways, is the world's top seaplane airline.
Qantas Airways Ltd. →
Active · founded 1920 · Australia
Qantas Airways Ltd.
Ceské aerolinie, a.s. →
Active · founded 1923 · Czech Republic
Ceské aerolinie, a.s., also called Czech Airlines or CSA, flies to approximately 70 destinations in more than 40…
Finnair Oyj →
Active · founded 1923 · Finland
Based in Helsinki, Finnair Oyj is the national airline of Finland and the fifth oldest airline in the world.
Sabena S.A./N.V. →
Active · founded 1923 · Belgium
Sabena S.A./N.V.
Deutsche Lufthansa AG →
Active · founded 1926 · Germany
Deutsche Lufthansa AG (commonly referred to as Lufthansa) is the largest airline in Germany and one of the three…
LOT Polish Airlines (Polskie Linie Lotnicze S.A.) →
Active · founded 1929 · Poland
Polskie Linie Lotnicze S.A., or LOT Polish Airlines, was the first airline in Eastern Europe to ditch its fleet of old…
Serco Group plc →
Active · founded 1929 · United Kingdom
Serco Group plc provides facilities management and other engineering services for a variety of governmental and…
Grupo TACA →
Active · founded 1931 · El Salvador
Grupo TACA (Transportes Aéreas Centro-Americanos) is the third largest air carrier in Latin America.
Turkish Airlines Inc. (Türk Hava Yollari A.O.) →
Active · founded 1933 · Turkey
Turkish Airlines Inc., or Türk Hava Yollari A.O.
Icelandair →
Active · founded 1937 · Iceland
Icelandair (Fluglei'ir hf.), Iceland's largest publicly traded company, has played off its unique mid-Atlantic location…
British Midland plc →
Defunct · founded 1938 · United Kingdom
British Midland plc, the second largest airline in the United Kingdom, flies more than six million passengers a year to…
TAP →
Active · founded 1945 · Portugal
Lisbon-based TAP--Air Portugal Transportes Aéreos Portugueses S.A.
Airborne Freight Corporation →
Active · founded 1946
Airborne Freight Corporation is the third largest express delivery company in the United States.
Bradley Air Services Ltd. →
Defunct · founded 1946 · Canada
Bradley Air Services Ltd.
Air Pacific Ltd. →
Active · founded 1947 · Fiji
Air Pacific Ltd.
Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. →
Active · founded 1949
Petroleum Helicopters, Inc.
Gulf Air Company →
Active · founded 1950 · Bahrain
Gulf Air Company is the national airline of Bahrain, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Japan Airlines Company, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1953 · Japan
Japan Airlines Company, Ltd.
Kuwait Airways Corporation →
Active · founded 1954 · State of Kuwait
Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) is the flag carrier of Kuwait.
TAROM S.A. →
Active · founded 1954 · Romania
TAROM S.A.
Pakistan International Airlines Corporation →
Active · founded 1955 · Pakistan
Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIA) is the flag carrier of Pakistan, whose government owns 85 percent of…
Royal Nepal Airline Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1958 · Nepal
Royal Nepal Airline Corporation (RNAC) is the state airline of Nepal, and one of the driving forces behind the…
China Airlines →
Active · founded 1959 · Taiwan
Although China Airlines (CAL) became something of a pariah when the United Nations recognized the People's Republic of…
Evergreen International Aviation, Inc. →
Active · founded 1960
The "airline's airline," Evergreen International Airlines, Inc.
TAM Linhas Aéreas S.A. →
Active · founded 1961 · Brazil
TAM Linhas Aéreas S.A.
Executive Jet, Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
Executive Jet, Inc.
Air Wisconsin Airlines Corporation →
Active · founded 1965
Air Wisconsin Airlines Corporation is a leading regional airline in the United States.
Air Mauritius Ltd. →
Active · founded 1967 · Mauritius
Air Mauritius Ltd.
Penauille Polyservices SA →
Active · founded 1970 · France
Fast-rising Penauille Polyservices SA is one of the world's leading commercial services companies, operating through…
International Total Services, Inc. →
Active · founded 1978
International Total Services, Inc.
Air Methods Corporation →
Active · founded 1980
Air Methods Corporation is one of the world's leading airborne healthcare companies, providing air medical emergency…
Air Berlin GmbH & Co. Luftverkehrs KG →
Active · founded 1991 · Germany
Air Berlin GmbH & Co.
Atlantic Coast Airlines Holdings, Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1991
Atlantic Coast Airlines Holdings, Inc.
Shannon Aerospace Ltd. →
Active · founded 1992 · Ireland
Shannon Aerospace Ltd.
Air Sahara Limited →
Active · founded 1993 · India
Air Sahara Limited is a leading private airline in India, owned by the diversified Sahara India Parivar group.
Sterling European Airlines A/S →
Active · founded 1994 · Denmark
Sterling European Airlines A/S (SEA) is Scandinavia's leading low-fare airline.
Swissport International Ltd. →
Active · founded 1996 · Switzerland
Swissport International Ltd.
Build It Today

Starting a other support activities for air transportation company now

Each week we rebuild one of these stories with today's tools and capital.