Which airline operated the first commercial Lockheed L-1011 TriStar flight in 1972?

Eastern Air Lines operated the first commercial Lockheed L-1011 TriStar flight in 1972.

Eastern introduced the TriStar on April 26, 1972, using the wide-body aircraft on a service from Miami to New York. The L-1011 was Lockheed’s answer to the growing market for medium- to long-range wide-body aircraft.

The TriStar was a three-engine design, with two engines mounted under the wings and a third fed through the tail. It became known for advanced automation and a relatively quiet passenger cabin, although the program faced delays and intense competition from the Douglas DC-10.

This milestone is distinct from the aircraft’s first flight, which occurred in 1970, and from later TriStar operators such as Delta Air Lines and British Airways. Eastern was the launch operator and the first airline to carry paying passengers on the type.