أول خدمة طيران تجاري بطائرات نفاثة

BOAC (now British Airways) operated the Comet 1 between London and Johannesburg. The jet age promised faster, smoother flight above most weather. However, the early Comet suffered catastrophic metal fatigue failures, leading to groundings and a complete redesign. The lessons learned from the Comet's structural failures fundamentally changed aircraft engineering and led to modern pressurization testing standards.