Airco DH.16

The Airco DH.16 was an early British airliner designed by Geoffrey de Havilland, the chief designer at Airco. It accommodated a pilot plus four passengers, and was operated from 1919 to 1923.

Design and development
The DH.16 was a redesigned Airco DH.9A light bomber biplane with a wider fuselage, accommodating an enclosed cabin seating four passengers, plus the pilot in an open cockpit. In March 1919, the prototype first flew at Hendon Aerodrome. Nine aircraft were built, all but one being delivered to Airco's subsidiary Aircraft Transport & Travel Limited (AT&T).

Operational history
AT&T used the first aircraft for pleasure flying, then on 25 August 1919 it was with this type of aircraft that AT&T operated the first regular (daily) international service in the world, from London-Hounslow Heath Aerodrome to Paris–Le Bourget Airport.

On 17 May 1920, an AT&T DH.16 (G-EALU) flew the first KLM service between Croydon Airport and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

In December 1920, AT&T closed down. One aircraft was sold to the River Plate Aviation Company in Argentina, to operate a cross-river service between Buenos Aires and Montevideo. , and the other aircraft were stored. Two were later used for newspaper delivery flights, but on 10 January 1923 one of these suffered a fatal crash, and the remaining DH.16s were withdrawn and scrapped.

Variants
The first six aircraft were powered by a 320 hp (239 kW) Rolls-Royce Eagle inline piston engine; the last three aircraft were fitted with the more powerful 450 hp (336 kW) Napier Lion engine.

Operators

 * The River Plate Aviation Co. Ltd. – three aircraft c/n No 2, No 3 and P-4.
 * KLM – services operated by Aircraft Transport and Travel aircraft.
 * Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited – all nine DH.16s operated from 1919 to 1922.
 * De Havilland Aeroplane Hire Service – two former AT&T aircraft from 1922 to 1923.
 * Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited – all nine DH.16s operated from 1919 to 1922.
 * De Havilland Aeroplane Hire Service – two former AT&T aircraft from 1922 to 1923.
 * De Havilland Aeroplane Hire Service – two former AT&T aircraft from 1922 to 1923.