Which airline was the first to operate a scheduled nonstop flight from London to New York in 1958?

British Overseas Airways Corporation, usually called BOAC, was the first airline to operate a scheduled nonstop jet service from London to New York in 1958. The service used the de Havilland Comet 4.

The Comet 4 was the first jet airliner to enter regular passenger service, but early routes and structural problems shaped the development of later jet aircraft. BOAC’s transatlantic service demonstrated that jet travel could substantially reduce journey times compared with piston-engine airliners.

BOAC was Britain’s principal long-haul state airline before it merged with British European Airways in 1974. That merger created British Airways. Therefore, British Airways is the successor carrier, but it was not the airline operating this 1958 milestone under its later name.