Two MB.220 airliners at Le Bourget shortly before the war. Note the packed terrace. Photo from: Dassault

This plane was delivered to Air France in October 1937 but the MB.220's first commercial service, from Le Bourget to Croydon, was in March 1938. The MB.220 fleet was militarized following the outbreak of WWII. F-AOHD was later used by Free French forces in North Africa, before resuming with Air France and receiving Cyclone engines to become an MB.221. Photo from: Dassault

The first MB.220 delivered to Air France. In the background is a Farman F.224, F-APMC, one of six delivered to the airline but rejected due to safety concerns. Photo from: Air France

Mishap for an MB.221 - an MB.220 re-engined with R-1820 Cyclone engines and re-introduced by Air France after the war. F-AOHC was originally delivered in 1937 and named Guyenne. Apparently the original type was a popular airliner but the MB.221s met with spates of incidents - three more for this airframe in the first three months of 1947! Photo from: ETH-Bibliothek Zürich

Refuelling in front of the terminal. Taken over by Lufthansa in 1943 as D-AXWA / D-AKGA. Photo from: Amsterdam City Archives

17 examples were built of the Bloch MB.220 airliner, which first flew in 1935. A few survivors were used by Air France for a couple of years after the war, with this one still wearing military roundels here. It still has the original Gnome-Rhône 14N engines, but was later converted to MB.221 standard with Wright Cyclones. Photo from: ETH-Bibliothek Zürich