First Commercial Jet Airliner Service
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1952
year
The de Havilland Comet entered service on May 2, 1952, becoming the first jet-powered airliner to carry paying passengers.
Explanation
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.