The
de Havilland DH 106 Comet was the world's first production commercial
jetliner. Developed and manufactured by
de Havilland at its
Hatfield Aerodrome,
Hertfordshire, United Kingdom headquarters, the Comet 1 prototype first flew on 27 July 1949. It featured an aerodynamically clean design with four
de Havilland Ghost turbojet engines buried in the wings, a pressurised
fuselage, and large square windows. For the era, it offered a relatively quiet, comfortable passenger cabin and showed signs of being a commercial success at its 1952 debut.