Pilot sitting in spitfire aircraft

Aviation History

Shell has been powering aviation from its earliest beginnings…here are just a few of the milestones the company has been a part of along the way.

Pioneering flight (Credit: Screenocean/Owner)

Duration: 00:01:54

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Vision

Black and white shot of patterned backdrop with caption ‘Novel Christening. First ‘’Moth’’ aeroplane for a commercial traveller’s use, is christened with petrol, at Stag Lane Aerodrome. 1673, Gaumont Graphic.’’

Black and white footage of an aeroplane with men in uniform around it.

Mrs. George Wilson, the wife of Assistant General Manager of Shell-Mex, and a man are at the top of a ladder, Mrs Wilson pours Golden Shell Oil into the plane.

Mrs Wilson is then presented with a bunch of flowers from a little girl.

The pilot climbs inside the aeroplane and someone is in the back, people gather around.

Mrs Wilson pours in more fuel.

We focus on the passengers.

Mrs Wilson pours more fuel and accepts the flowers again before walking off with the child.

Back to the pilot and passenger as two men turn the front propellers of the plane.

Plane is in the air over a field and passes over a house before landing on the grass.

Men run towards the plane as it lands and run alongside as it comes towards the camera.

The plane turns and the men pull it to a stop.

The men then walk alongside the plane and it takes off again into the sky.

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A look at our aviation highlights

Shell is one of the few companies that has been part of the aviation story for over 100 years, innovating the fuels and lubricants that power flight.  The timeline below traces this story.

A super-charged trip through our motoring highlights

1909

Old aircraft

When Louis Bleriot became the first aviator to cross the English Channel, he was powered by Shell fuel.

1919

Aircraft which took the first transatlantic flight

The first trans-Atlantic flight – by Alcock and Brown – was fuelled by Shell.

1924

First KLM airline Amstedam – Batavia was fuelled with Aeroshell.

1928

AeroShell logo

AeroShell was launched to market our growing range of aviation products.

1940

Sir Frank Whittle

Shell helped Sir Frank Whittle to develop the first jet engines.

1960

Fuelling hydrant system

Shell launched the fuelling hydrant system that’s now the industry standard.

1989

Aircraft on tarmac - First non-stop flight from London to Australia

The first non-stop flight from London to Australia was fuelled by Shell.

2008

Shell fuel tanker by wing of Airbus A380 on tarmac

The Airbus A380 became the first commercial aircraft to fly with synthetic liquid jet fuel processed from Gas to Liquid – processed by Shell.

2013

Man inspecting Shell vehicle

A lead-free replacement for AvGas was announced by Shell.

More about Shell’s Heritage

Brand history

Over a century ago, Shell’s iconic logo started life as a mussel shell – discover how the brand has changed over the years.

Company history

Go back to 1833 to see where it all started and how Shell has evolved to become one of the world’s leading energy companies.

More aspects of our heritage

Motorsport History

Shell was there alongside the earliest motorsport pioneers, helping to fuel their dreams of turning a new mode of transport into an exciting way to compete. And Shell is still involved today, partnering with race teams at tracks around the world – from Formula 1 to MotoGP to Nascar.

Preserving Shell heritage

With so much inspiration to draw from the past, we are committed to preserving and celebrating Shell’s heritage and sharing it with as many people as possible.

Major Innovation Milestones

Shell’s history is full of examples of how we’ve powered progress through new ideas and pioneering technology. On this page, we’ve looked at some of the key areas where we’ve made breakthroughs over the years, and where we’re still pushing boundaries today.