The flyer developed by two American brothers, Wilbur and Orville Wright, was the first aircraft to make sustained and controlled flight in 1903. By 1907, the Wright flyer could stay in air for up to 45 minutes.
The Handley Page HP 42. was built in 1930. It flew mainly on the European routes. The fuel used was hydrogen and it could explode very easily, resulting in a very large number of crashes.
Sikorsky Le Grand 1913. Designed by a Russian, Igor Sikorsky, ‘Le Grand’ was a four-engined giant with a 91 feet wingspan. The next version of this aircraft was Hya Mourometz and it could fly six pasengers for 6.5 hours.
Bleriot XI 1909. The monoplane designed by Luis Bleriot became world famous on 15 July 1909, as the first aeroplane to fly across the English Channel.
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After World War II, commercial aircraft using various types of jet engines were produced. The first Jumbo jet, the Boeing 747, that could carry more than 400 passengers over long distance was built by Boeing company around 1968-70.
Many big cities in the world, like London, Paris, Moscow, New York, Tokyo, Mumbai, etc., have large international airports. In India many cities are connected by air. Most domestic traffic is controlled by Indian Airlines.
All the countries of the world are connected by air services. Most of the countries have their own airlines. Goods are also transported by air to almost every part of the world. Everybody cannot enjoy the luxury of air travel due to its very high cost.