TAE Greek National Airlines History: 1935-1957 – Airline Employee Shop

TAE Greek Airlines History

TAE began as a small Athens flying company in 1935, became Greece's national airline in 1951, and in 1957 was reborn as Aristotle Onassis's Olympic Airways. Here's a short history of TAE Greek National Airlines, plus the TAE Greek Airlines collection that celebrates them.

Stephanos Zotos and the first TAE (1935-1941)

Stephanos Zotos founded TAE in Athens in 1935. The initials stand for the Greek words for "Technical and Aeronautical Holdings." Its first aircraft were a de Havilland Hornet Moth and a Tiger Moth, based at Tatoi Airport. TAE flew domestic routes the national carrier of the day did not serve, and also used its aircraft and pilots as a flying school. When war came in 1940, its civilian pilots joined the Royal Hellenic Air Force, and the German invasion in April 1941 destroyed TAE's aircraft.

Postwar DC-3s (1946-1950)

After the war Zotos worked with TWA and obtained three ex-US Army Air Forces C-47s, which were converted to DC-3s in Egypt. Service began on July 30, 1946, from the new Hellinikon Airport in Athens to Thessaloniki and Chania. More DC-3s came in 1947 and 1948, bringing the fleet to 11. TAE now competed with Hellenic Airlines and Air Transport of Greece (AME), but passenger numbers fell in 1950.

Greece's national airline (1951-1957)

In 1951 the government merged TAE, Hellenic Airlines and AME into one national carrier, TAE Greek National Airlines. The new airline had 18 aircraft: one Douglas DC-4 Skymaster and the rest DC-3s. The DC-4 flew twice weekly from Athens to Rome, Paris and London. DC-3s linked Athens with Thessaloniki, Crete, Rhodes, Corfu and other cities and islands, and flew abroad to Belgrade, Istanbul, Nicosia and Alexandria. Finances were poor by 1955, and the state could not find a buyer at first. In July 1956 shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis agreed to buy the airline. It kept flying as TAE until April 6, 1957, when it became Olympic Airways.

A few things collectors love

  • TAE's earliest aircraft carried the Greek registrations SX-AAI (Hornet Moth) and SX-AAK (Tiger Moth).
  • The English name appeared both as TAE Greek National Airlines and TAE National Greek Airlines.
  • Olympic Airways, TAE's successor, adopted a six-ring logo: five rings for the continents and a sixth for Greece.

Shop TAE Greek Airlines

Browse TAE Greek Airlines logo T-shirts, coffee mugs, coasters, tote bags and vintage designs in the TAE Greek Airlines collection. Add an airline bag tag or key tag to complete your vintage Greek aviation collection.

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