Celebrating 90 years of historical flight at Launceston Airport

Today marks the 90th anniversary of the first return airline passenger flight that arrived at Launceston on January 16, 1931, and returned to Melbourne on January 19, 1931.

Tasmanian Aero Club historian Lindsay Miller said the flight was the start of commercial air services between Tasmania and interstate.

"It basically was the beginning between the mainland and Launceston for the public by air on a regular basis in that respect," he said.

"Ninety years ago, it was the start of passenger flights into Tasmania."

Sir Charles Kingsford Smith piloted the historical flight in the VH_UMF Southern Cloud, which marked the beginning of the important Tasmanian aviation development.

The aircraft was equipped with three engines, each with 230 horsepower, and had a wingspread of 72 feet.

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"To think that on that flight, 400 people turned up to watch it land with 10 passengers on board," Mr Miller said.

"The flight took three hours roughly, compared to today's 50 minutes."

However, the future was not all smooth flying for the aircraft that completed the historical flight.

On March 21, just two months after Southern Cloud completed the return trip, it was lost during a flight from Sydney to Melbourne.

The missing plane quickly became a mystery as a massive search failed to find the aircraft.

In October 1958, walkers found the wreckage in the Snowy Mountains.

The airport will also celebrate a major anniversary of the official opening of the Western Junction Aerodrome on February 28.