Short History of Airliners and Turboprop Jets

Following the Wright Brothers’ first controlled sustained powered flight in 1903, a new means of travelling had been discovered. In 1913, Russian-American aviation pioneer Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky built the first large four multi-engined airplane, which had its demonstration flight carrying sixteen passenger in 1914. Sadly, it was never commercially manufactured due to the outbreak of the First World War. After the war several redundant military aircraft were converted for passenger use, which led to companies being formed to manufacture aircraft specifically for civilian use.

By the 1930s, there had been a substantial rise in the production of civilian aircraft, with airliners becoming a regular sight in the skies and carrying passengers to destinations worldwide. This was paused during the Second World War, but in 1945 companies recommenced manufacturing not only passenger but also commercial cargo-carrying airliners. In the 1950s and 1960s jet airliner manufacturing ‘soared’ to new heights and by the 1970s probably reached its peak, fuelled by the introduction of package holidays. However, passenger numbers dipped during the decade following a series of hijackings by various terrorist groups. In the 1980s, 1990s and into the twenty-first century the number of airline passenger numbers began to rise, as did the production of cargo and specialised aircraft.

There are not many places left in the world that don’t have an airport or at least a runway where aircraft carrying passengers can land and take-off. Royston Morris gives a comprehensive overview of the introduction of airliners and their development across the decades through a wealth of fascinating images.