de Havilland introduced the world’s first commercial jet airliner, the de Havilland Comet, in 1952.
The British company developed the Comet as the DH.106, a sleek four-engine aircraft powered by de Havilland Ghost turbojets. Its prototype first flew in 1949, and British Overseas Airways Corporation began scheduled passenger service with the Comet on 2 May 1952, inaugurating the jet age for commercial travelers.
The aircraft was faster, quieter and smoother than piston-engine airliners, and its pressurized cabin allowed it to fly above much of the weather that affected propeller aircraft. These advantages made the Comet an impressive technological breakthrough and attracted international attention.
However, early Comets suffered catastrophic structural failures caused by metal fatigue, especially around the corners of square window and antenna openings. The resulting investigation led to major redesigns and influenced every later pressurized jetliner. Boeing’s 707 and Douglas’s DC-8 eventually dominated long-range aviation, but both benefited from lessons revealed by the Comet’s pioneering service.