IATA celebrates commercial aviation’s 100th birthday

The first commercial airline flight on Jan. 1, 1914.
(Courtesy of Flight 2014)

In honor of the 100th birthday of commercial aviation today, the International Air Transport Association has launched a new website for the celebration.

The St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line flew the first scheduled commercial airline flight across Tampa Bay, Fla. Tony Jannus piloted the Benoist airboat.

IATA also is a sponsor of Flight 2014, a group that planned to retrace the nation’s first commercial flight using a replica Benoist airboat this morning. However, technical difficulties have deferred the replica flight, according to a recent Tampa Bay Times article.                   

A commemorative flight will still take place today – with a Hoffman X-4 “Mullet Skiff” amphibious flying boat taking off from St. Petersburg, Fla., and flying across Tampa Bay.

However, a recent Tampa Bay Times article reported that technical difficulties have deferred the flight.

In honor of today, here are some fun aviation facts from IATA:

* In 2013, passengers surpassed the 3 billion mark for the first time — to 3.1 billion. That number is expected to grow to 3.3 billion in 2014.

* Aviation supports more than 57 million jobs and generates $2.2 trillion in economic activity. The industry’s direct economic contribution of around $540 billion would, if translated into a country’s gross domestic product, rank at No. 19.

* About 50 million tonnes of cargo is transported by air each year (about 140,000 tonnes a day). The annual value of these goods is roughly $6.4 trillion, or 35 percent of the value of all goods traded internationally.