Short Solent at Poole

Date: 2 May, 1952

The British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was the British state airline from 1939 until 1946, and the long-haul British state airline from 1946 (later merged with British European Airways Corporation to form British Airways).

In 1952, BOAC became the first airline to introduce a passenger jet, the de Havilland Comet. On 2 May 1952 the first regular jet flight, with a Havilland Comet, left London with 36 passengers on board. It arrived in Johannesburg 18 hours later. The London-Johannesburg route therefore became the first regular service flown by a jet airliner.  

References:

1. Wallis, F. (2000). Nuusdagboek: feite en fratse oor 1000 jaar, Kaapstad: Human & Rousseau).
2. British Overseas Airways Corporation [online], available at: wikipedia.org [accessed 21 April 2009]