Aninternational flight is a form ofcommercial flight withincivil aviation where thedeparture and the arrival take place in differentcountries.[1]
Since its origins, international commercial flights have taken place with a variety of aircraft types includingairplanes andairships. Modern international flight typically takes place onwide-body aircraft and involvesimmigration andcustoms formalities throughinternational airports.
One of the first flights between two countries was on January 7, 1785, whenJean-Pierre Blanchard andJohn Jeffries crossed theEnglish Channel in ahot air balloon.[2] It took more than a century for the firstheavier-than-air object to repeat this process:Louis Blériot crossed the English Channel on July 25, 1909,[3] winning aDaily Mail prize of £1,000.[4]
The firstairline to operate ad-hoc international flights wasChalk's Ocean Airways, established 1917, which operated scheduled seaplane services fromFlorida to theBahamas. The company claimed to have begun a scheduled international service on this route in February 1919.[5][6]
The British airship,HM Airship R34 was the first aircraft of any type to carry passengers across the Atlantic Ocean when on 2 July 1919 it left Scotland, travelled to New York and returned.[7][8]
Lignes Aériennes Farman, which became part ofAir France, began a weekly service between Paris and Brussels on March 22, 1919, the world's first internationalcommercial aviation service.[9][10]
A daily international service was established on August 25, 1919 with a flight going fromHounslow Heath Aerodrome inLondon, England toLe Bourget, nearParis, France.[10][11] The journey was organized and operated by the firmAircraft Transport and Travel (AT&T), a forerunner ofBritish Airways (BA). Besides ferrying travelers, the flights, which occurred daily, also transportedmail and parcels. TheDe Havilland DH4A aircraft were designed for combat during theFirst World War but saw extensive later use. Looking back, historical writer Paul Jarvis commented that during the "very early days it was very much just about persuading people to fly at all" given that "quite a lot of people" considered aviation as a whole to be "just a passing fad."[12][13]
Thepost-war period brought about widespreadcultural changes in multiple nations that resulted in international flights becoming embraced by large populations. AfterWorld War II, international commercial flights were regulated by the creation of theInternational Air Transport Association (IATA) and theInternational Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Both organizations continue into the 21st century.
An important difference between international anddomestic flights is that, beforeboarding the aircraft, passengers must undergomigration formalities and, when arriving to the destination airport, they must undergo bothimmigration andcustoms formalities. Exceptions exist in situations such as when the departure and arrival countries are members of the samediplomatically organized free travel area, an example being theSchengen Area withinEurope. Said group of traveling agreements resulted from the 1985 Schengen Agreement and the 1990 Schengen Convention, both matters ofinternational law being signed inLuxembourg.
Airports serving international flights are known asinternational airports. For example,King Fahd International Airport within theDammam metropolis ofSaudi Arabia has the largestlandmass of any airport in the world, with the complex encompassing over three-hundredsquare miles of territory. By comparison, theMiddle Eastern nation ofBahrain is actually smaller.[14] These international facilities typically are of a far greater size than standard airports, usually including expanded amenities such as areas withbookshops,lounges, andrestaurants. Experiences not normally associated with airports such asbanks providingfinancial services may be offered to travelers in such complexes.
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Most modern international passenger travel takes place usingwide-body aircraft but all types of aircraft can be used, includingprivate jets,helicopters andairships.
The first fixed wing scheduled passenger air service ... was operated by the St Petersberg-Tampa Airboat Line. ... The first regular international passenger air service was a weekly flight between Paris and Brussels which commenced on 22 March 1919. [Operated by] Lignes Aériennes Farman
The first, scheduled international air service commenced in Mar., 1919, linking Paris and Brussels, while a daily service connecting Paris and London by August.
AT&T was the first of Britain's pioneering airlines. Founded on 5 October 1916 ... The 25 August 1919 was an aviation landmark. ... It was also the world's first [daily] commercial fixed-wing scheduled international service.
