Boeing developed the 707, the first successful commercial jet airliner in the United States.
The Boeing 707 entered commercial service in 1958 with Pan American World Airways. Its jet engines enabled much faster long-distance travel than the piston-powered airliners it replaced.
Boeing developed the aircraft from the prototype Dash 80, which first flew in 1954. The 707’s success established Boeing as a dominant manufacturer of large commercial passenger jets.
The de Havilland Comet had entered service earlier and was the world’s first jet airliner, so the 707 should not be described as the first jet airliner overall. Its significance was commercial success and its role in starting the jet age in U.S. airline service.