| 1918 |
Creation of Latécoère Air Lines (LAL)
Pierre-Georges Latécoère, a young French industrialist, teamed up with a friend, Beppo di Massimi, to take on an ambitious project: the creation of an airline that would carry mail between France and Argentina. The first section of the route was Toulouse-Rabat, with stops in Barcelona, Alicante and Malaga. |
| 1919 |
LAL's Beginnings
Latécoère bought 15 Bréguet 14 airplanes from the French army and hired a number of former war pilots, among them Didier Daurat and Raymond Vanier. |
| 1919 |
Opening of the Toulouse-Rabat Line.
Letter
Letter transported between Morocco and France by Lignes aériennes Latécoère in 1919.
Courtesy of Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace, Le Bourget, MA 8088
Poster
Reproduction of a poster advertising the Lignes aériennes Latécoère Toulouse-Rabat line via Spain. Latécoère was granted rights for this line on July 7, 1919.
Courtesy of Musée de la Poste, Paris |
| 1920 |
Extension of the Line from Rabat to Casablanca. |
| 1920 |
First Fatal Accident.
While flying their Salmson through a sudden storm, pilot Jean Rodier and his mechanic François Marty-Mahé crashed into the sea just off Port-Vendres. More than a hundred fatal accidents occurred before the Second World War began. |
| 1920 |
Didier Daurat: LAL's New Operations Manager
Daurat was one of the most active promoters of the famous LAL esprit de corps, in which the company took great pride. |
