On 1 July 1946, Air France inaugurated direct scheduled service between Paris and New York via refuelling stops at Shannon and Gander. Douglas DC-4 piston-engined airliners covered the route in just under 20 hours.[7] By 1948 Air France operated one of the largest fleets in the world, numbering 130 aircraft.[7] Between 1947 and 1965, the airline operated a large fleet of Lockheed Constellations on passenger and cargo services worldwide.[8] In 1946 and 1948, respectively, the French government further authorised the creation of two private airlines: Transports Aériens Internationaux - later Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux - (TAI) and SATI. In 1949 the latter became part of Union Aéromaritime de Transport (UAT), a private French international airline.[7]