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Top 10 Oldest Airlines

KLM celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2019, making it the oldest operating airline in the world. But KLM is not the only airline of its age. We have listed the top ten oldest airlines that still exist today:

Top 10 oldest airlines

  • LOT Polish Airlines
  • Iberia
  • Air Serbia
  • Delta Airlines
  • Finnair
  • Czech Airlines
  • Aeroflot
  • Qantas
  • Avianca
  • KLM

#10 LOT Polish Airlines

LOT Polish Airlines is number 10 on the oldest airlines list. The national airline of Poland was founded on December 29, 1928, and has been in operation for 90 years!

#9 Iberia

Number 9 on the list originated in Spain and is also the national airline of the country. Iberia has been around since 28 June 1927 and is now 92 years 'young'.

#8 Air Serbia

Number 8 on the list comes from Serbia and, like its predecessors, is also the country's national airline. Like Iberia, Air Serbia was founded 92 years ago. The airline will blow out candles again on June 17th.

#7 Delta Air Lines

Number 7, Delta Air Lines is not the national airline of the US, but it is the oldest. The airline has been around since 1924 and will celebrate its 95th birthday on May 30th.

#6 Finnair

With a history spanning 95 years, Finnair, yes, the national airline of Finland, is in sixth place. The airline has existed since November 1, 1923.

#5 Czech Airlines

On October 6th, the national airline of the Czech Republic was founded just a month before Finnair and, therefore, takes 5th place in the top 10.

#4 Aeroflot

Aeroflot has been operational since July 15, 1923, and has been in operation for 96 years.

#3 Qantas

Qantas from Australia is undisputed in third place, this airline has been in existence for 98 years, since November 16, 1920!

#2 Avianca

The number two airline is from Colombia, Avianca will be celebrating its 100th birthday this year on December 5th.

#1 KLM

Dutch airline KLM is the oldest still in operation in the world! KLM is only slightly older than Avianca, as it will also celebrate its 100th anniversary this year, on October 7th. KLM's first commercial flight was between London and Amsterdam on May 17, 1920. The celebration of this special anniversary started on June 29, 2019, exactly 100 days before October 7th.

Got the travel bug after seeing all those planes? Don't wait any longer and book your tickets now.

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