ABSTRACT
Cargo was carried on board aircraft right from the very fi rst commercial fl ights performed by the fl edgling new breed of commercial airlines. Boeing’s initial commercial service was for the US Post Offi ce – and that was well in advance of any passenger service offering. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, the oldest airline in the world still fl ying under its own name, is very proud of the fact that its fi rst commercial fl ight on 17 May 1919, from Croydon in the UK to Amsterdam, carried two passengers and a cargo shipment of 50 kilogram of newspapers as well.
