1930: Rayon d'Or

Golden Ray (Rayon d'Or in French) was the name of Croydon - Paris air service operated by Air Union.

  

The line lived up to its name:

On 31 July 1929, Goliath F-GEAB of Air Union, on a flight from London to Paris carrying gold bullion was damaged in a forced landing near Smarden in Kent, bushes on the riverbank stopped the aircraft entering the River Beult although some of the gold bullion it was carrying ended up in the river, the bullion was recovered by spectators and transferred by lorry to Lympne for onward transport to Paris. The aircraft may have been repaired and returned to service as its registration was not cancelled until 1 June 1932.

 

Image 2: Past to Present

Info: Wikipedia