31 YEARS SINCE FIRST COMMERCIAL AIR SERVICE STARTED

Wanganui Chronicle, 21 September 1950, Page 4

31 YEARS SINCE FIRST COMMERCIAL AIR SERVICE STARTED

This month marks the 31st anniversary of the world’s first international commercial aii* service which, under the British flag, started between London and Le Bourget, near Paris, on August 25, 1919. The first flight was made from Hounslow to Le Bourget in the morning by Captain Bill Lawford in a D.H. 4A and was a “positioning" flight to enable the first schedule service to leave Paris in the afternoon. The first scheduled flight was made from Hounslow in a D.H. 16 by Major Patteson who left at 12.30 p.m. and was accompanied by four passengers, one ot whom was Captain Bruce Ingram, M.C., now editor of the "London Illustrated News." Ten minutes later, Captain Lawford took off from Le Bourget with representatives of the ''Daily Mail’ as passengers. Both machines arrived at their destinations without incident.

The first regular service to Paris with Handley Page aircraft commenced on September 2, 1919 to be followed a month later by the first regular service to Brussels. Mounting difficulties eventually led to the amalgamation of all the companies and the formation of Imperial Airways.