Shapes of Tourism Employment

8Rebuilding of Flag Carrier Airline Companies and Historical Value Violations

8.1. National companies conquering the world: a historical background

8.1.1. The impetus of the Paris Convention and the rise of the interwar period

Aviation was invented in the 19th Century and then underwent accelerated development as a result of the two World Wars. As early as 1919¹, the first commercial passenger lines appeared, international in scope as soon as they were launched. KLM was the initiator, with its Amsterdam–London line inaugurated in 1920. In the same year and in connection with the intensification of line openings, a first convention was signed in Paris in order to seal several principles: agreement between countries concerning international traffic, affirmation of the protection of the territory of each country and decision that domestic traffic would be governed in a sovereign manner by each country (the sky above land and territorial waters depend on this principle of sovereignty), promulgation of the emergence of large national companies, true flag bearers and national flags. Thus, many air carriers were created, contributing to the prestige of the nations that saw them born: KLM (Netherlands) in 1919, but also Qantas (Australia) in 1920, Delta Air Lines (United States) and Imperial Airways (Great Britain) in 1924, Lufthansa (Germany), United Airlines (United States) and Pan Am in 1926, American Airlines in 1930 (United States) and, later, Air France (Box 8.1).

Box 8.1. ...