Aircraft Transport and Travel

Aircraft Transport and Travel
	De Havilland DH.16, Aircraft Transport and Travel, probably Croydon 1920
Founded	5 October 1916
Ceased operations	28 February 1921 (BSA continued its services through Daimler Airway)
Hubs	Hounslow Heath Aerodrome; Croydon Airport;
Secondary hubs	Folkestone;
Destinations	Ghent; Paris–Le Bourget Airport;
Parent company	Airco (acquired by Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) in February 1920)

Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited (AT&T), also known as Air Express, was the first British airline. Formed during the First World War as a subsidiary of Airco, an aircraft manufacturer, it was the first airline in the world to operate a daily commercial aviation service, an international flight between London and Paris. It is the oldest predecessor of British Airways.

History

On 5 October 1916, Aircraft Transport and Travel (AT&T) was formed by George Holt Thomas. Using a fleet of former military Airco DH.4A biplanes, it operated relief flights between Folkestone and Ghent.^{[citation needed]} On 15 July 1919, the company flew a proving flight across the English Channel, despite a lack of support from the British government. Flown by Lt. H. Shaw in an Airco DH.9 between RAF Hendon and Paris–Le Bourget Airport, the flight took 2 hours and 30 minutes, and cost £21 per passenger.^{[citation needed]}

On 25 August 1919, the company used DH.16s to start a daily service from Hounslow Heath Aerodrome to Le Bourget, the first regular (daily) international flight service in the world.^[2]^[3]^[1]^[4] The airline soon gained a reputation for reliability, despite problems with bad weather. In November 1919, it won the first British civil airmail contract.^[5] Six Royal Air Force Airco DH.9A aircraft, modified with Napier Lion engines were lent to the company from October 1919, to operate the airmail service between Hawkinge and Cologne, which Aircraft Transport and Travel took over from the RAF on 15 August 1919.^[6] In 1920, they were returned to the Royal Air Force.^[7]

In February 1920, with its parent Airco, AT&T, also known as Air Express, was acquired by part of the Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA). It continued operations, under the control of Frank Searle of Daimler Hire.

As well as the London (Hounslow) to Paris service, AT&T also operated a Croydon Airport to Amsterdam service on behalf of KLM. On 17 May 1920, a DH.16 (G-EALU) of AT&T operated the first KLM service between London and Amsterdam.^[8]^[9]

AT&T continued to operate, but was overburdened with debt. In November 1920, BSA placed Airco in liquidation, and on 17 December 1920, AT&T ran its last service.^[10] Early in 1921, its assets were purchased by BSA subsidiary Daimler and rolled with Daimler Air Hire Limited into a new company called Daimler Airway Limited which continued the services.^[11]^[12]

By 1921, six companies operated a London to Paris service, three French and three British. The French airlines were receiving subsidies from the French government, and in protest the three British airlines stopped services on 28 February 1921.^[13]

Legacy

Through a series of takeovers and mergers, the modern-day British Airways traces part of its legacy back to Aircraft Transport and Travel, its earliest corporate ancestor.^[14]^[15]^[16]^[17] BA celebrated 1919 as the centenary of its operational passenger flights.^[18]^[19]^[20]

Aircraft

References

^ ^a ^b Bluffield, Robert (2014). Over Empires and Oceans: Pioneers, Aviators and Adventurers - Forging the International Air Routes 1918-1939. Tattered Flag. p. 100. ISBN 978-0-9576892-6-8. AT&T was the first of Britain's pioneering airlines. Founded on 5 October 1916 ... The 25 August 1919 was an aviation landmark. ... It was also the world's first [daily] commercial fixed-wing scheduled international service.
^ Skipper, Ben (15 November 2023). 100 Years of Civil Aviation: A History from the 1919 Paris Convention to Retiring the Jumbo Jet. Air World. ISBN 978-1-3990-6600-6.
^ Encyclopedia of the Anthropocene. Elsevier. 27 November 2017. ISBN 978-0-12-813576-1. The first, scheduled international air service commenced in Mar., 1919, linking Paris and Brussels, while a daily service connecting Paris and London by August.
^ Birtchnell, Thomas; Savitzky, Satya; Urry, John (2015). Cargomobilities: Moving Materials in a Global Age. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-96140-6.
^ "Explore our past: 1910 - 1919". British Airways. 10 November: Transport and Travel carried the first international air mail – to Paris. The first flight was by DH4A G-EAHF and an Air Mail pennant was attached to its rudder.
^ Jackson 1987, pp. 111–112
^ Jackson 1987, p. 112
^ "7 October 1919". This Day In Aviation.
^ Karin (22 August 2011). "The first aircraft". KLM.
^ The Putnam Aeronautical Review edited by John Motum, p170 Volume one 1990 Naval Institute Press
^ "One hundred years of international passenger flights". Royal Aeronautical Society. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
^ Cook, Gerald N.; Billig, Bruce G. (2023). Airline Operations and Management: A Management Textbook. Taylor & Francis. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-000-86999-6.
^ Ray Bonds, The Story of Aviation: A Concise History of Flight (Greenhill Books, 1997) p. 37
^ Grant, Tina; Derdak, Thomas (1996). International Directory of Company Histories. St. James Press. p. 70. ISBN 978-1-55862-342-2. British Airways' earliest predecessor was Aircraft Transport & Travel, Ltd., founded in 1916.
^ "British Airways' earliest ancestor". www.key.aero. 6 December 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
^ Segell, Glen (1998). The Defence Industrial Base and Foreign Policy. Glen Segell Publishers. ISBN 978-1-901414-12-7.
^ Rothacher, Albrecht (2005). Corporate Globalization: Business Cultures in Asia and Europe. Marshall Cavendish Academic. p. 90. ISBN 978-981-210-373-4. BA's earliest predecessor was Aircraft Transport & Travel
^ "Explore our past: 1910 - 1919". British Airways. 25 August: The world's first scheduled international service took place when single-engined De Havilland DH4A G-EAJC (Pilot: Lt E H "Bill" Lawford) of Air Transport and Travel flew from Hounslow Heath, Middlesex to Paris carrying one passenger, a consignment of leather, several brace of grouse and some jars of Devonshire cream.
^ "British Airways' Centenary Launches with a Love Letter Featuring the Best of British Talent". British Airways (Press release). London: International Airlines Group. Archived from the original on 8 February 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
^ "Up in the air for the launch of international air travel". The Daily Telegraph. 25 August 2016.

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
Jackson, A.J. (1974). British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 2. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-10010-7.
Jackson, A. J. (1987). De Havilland Aircraft since 1909. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-85177-802-X.