First Plane to Arrive in Las Palmas

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria · Category: Memory · Subcategory: Historic sites · Year: 1919

In 1919, as the Canary Islands represented a strategic point for air service with Africa and South America, the Spanish aeronautical programme signed agreements with France and Germany so that seaplanes could land on water at the maritime airports of the Canaries.

The first plane to arrive under its own power, that is, flying, to the capital of Gran Canaria did so by landing on water in the bay of El Refugio next to the nascent Port of La Luz, on 24 December 1919. It was a seaplane piloted by the Frenchman Henry Lefranc, who two days earlier had landed on water at the outer sandbar of El Reducto beach, in Arrecife, Lanzarote. Its final destination was Senegal, and it had started its journey in Toulon, France, making stops in Roses, Valencia, Almería, Málaga, Kenitra and Agadir before arriving in the Canaries. The journey aimed to study possible air routes connecting France with its African colonies.

Lefranc landed on the waters of the Port of La Luz without incident and stayed in Las Palmas for several days tuning the aircraft. During his stay in the city, the French pilot gave a lecture at the request of the director of the Escuela Industrial de Las Palmas (Industrial School of Las Palmas), concerning the characteristics of his aircraft and the reasons for his journey. In the early days of 1920, the seaplane took off from Las Palmas continuing towards Río de Oro, Port Etienne and, finally, Dakar.

Never before had an aircraft under its own power made such a long crossing to reach the Archipelago.

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