List of airlines by foundation date
This is a list of airlines by foundation date of the company. The list includes airlines founded before December 31, 1930.
Rows with a light-green background indicate the earliest predecessor company of an airline that is still operating, either as a parent company or a subsidiary company. Of the airlines still operating, Air France has the oldest predecessor company, Compagnie générale transaérienne, which was established in 1909 and began scheduled fixed-wing passenger operations in 1913. Another Air France predecessor, Lignes Aériennes Farman, began the first regular international passenger service in 1919. KLM is the oldest airline still operating under its original name, Koninklijke Luchtvaartmaatschappij, under which it was established in 1919 and began operating the following year.
The date of the first airline service may differ from the foundation date of the company.
| Airline | Country | Established | Ceased operations, acquired or merged | Corporate successor still operating | Notes |
| Compagnie générale transaérienne |  sfn|Hartmann|2006|p=2sfn|Taylor|1989sfn|Hartmann|2006|p=5sfn|L'histoire d'Air France |