Aerolíneas Argentinas was formed by the Argentine's Ministry of Transport as a state corporation in May 1949, when it took over the routes and assets of four struggling airlines. A year and a half later, in late December 1950, the company introduced the Buenos Aires–Rio de Janeiro–Natal–Dakar–Lisbon–Paris–Frankfurt route, using 48-seater DC-6 equipment, linking Argentina with Germany for the first time since 1933. By May 1952, the carrier's route network was 35,500 miles (57,100 km) long. Upon taking delivery of the first three Comet 4s, which also became the first jetliners in the airline's fleet, these brand new aircraft were deployed on the Buenos Aires–London, Buenos Aires–New York City, and Buenos Aires–Santiago de Chile routes.