Following Euravia's acquisition of Skyways, Skyways Coach-Air remained independent until its successor Skyways International was taken over by Dan-Air in 1972. Segreto, Manera and Pohl 2009, pp. [3] These applications were not without some difficulty as Euravia had the distinction of being refused more licences than any other two airlines put together; this was due to the fact that the firm placed a larger number of applications than any British airline, except for British United Airways (BUA). [2] The type would not be used for long however; during December 1970, the last remaining Britannia 102 was withdrawn from service, consequently, the airline became an all-jet operator at this point.

Sold to Presidential Airways as N312XV. Upon retirement, this aircraft was preserved and placed on display at the RAF museum, RAF Cosford. Maps generated by the Great Circle Mapper (www.gcmap.com) - copyright © Karl L. Swartz. During the late 1960s, Britannia became the first charter airline to offer assigned seating, as well as hot in-flight meals. Britannia began to re-equip with Boeing 737-200 in 1968, the first European charter operator of the type.Britannia was also the first European airline to fly the Boeing 767, which it added to its fleet in the 1980s.The Boeing 767 was the first widebodied aircraft in the Britannia fleet. [18] It was succeeded by a newer brand, 360, during the late 1990s; this service was billed as being less old-fashioned and possessed greater personality.

[3] Upon deciding to launch operations, the company quickly obtained the necessary licences from the Air Transport Licensing Board, Certificates of Airworthiness for their aircraft from the Air Registration Board, and an Air Operator's Certificate from the Director of Aviation Safety, Ministry of Aviation. Its main competitor at the time of rebranding was Thomas Cook Airlines. [7], Several efforts were made at European expansion during this time. Britannia Airways is similar to these airlines: First Choice Airways, Thomsonfly, List of airports in the United Kingdom and the British Crown Dependencies and more.

[2] It was founded at a time of considerable turmoil for the independent sector of the British air operators industry, during the early 1960s, several firms suffered from severe financial hardship and were even driven into bankruptcy.

Between 1968 and 1984, Britannia carried nearly forty-two million passengers, while the company's fleet grew to include twenty-nine Boeing 737s and a pair of 767s. ", "Pilot 'froze' before holiday jet crashed. Segreto, Manera and Pohl 2009, pp. Note: First flight April 29 1992, delivered Britannia Airways May 12 as G-BYAE, seated for Y223. [9], On 5 October of that same year, a rival charter airline Skyways, one of Britain's foremost independent airlines during the 1950s and early 1960s, was taken over by Euravia and integrated into its operations. Let us know what you think of the site and tell us what features you want to see next. Terms & Conditions - Privacy Policy - Contact Us. Bob O’Brien tells how Britannia Airways’ fleet of ‘baby Boeings’ helped meet people’s aspirations to jet to holiday destinations in the Med and beyond. [7] During 1997, 34 per cent of Britannia's flights were flown to long-haul destinations. [6][7] On 5 May 1962, Euravia commenced flight operations, using an initial batch of three Constellations to perform flights on behalf of Universal Sky Tours. We use cookies to offer you a better website experience, analyze site traffic, personalize content and serve targeted advertisements. Desc: Britannia Airways Flight 105 was a scheduled passenger flight from London Luton Airport for a flight to Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport. Aircraft header image (c) Sergiy Serdyuk. Britannia however did at times lease Airbus aircraft.

[9] The Skyways takeover did not include Skyways Coach-Air, a Skyways associate, established in the early 1950s by Eric Rylands to operate low-fare coach-air services between London and several European capital cities. Comments, Questions or Feedback? [14], By 1972, the airline had become the largest of the British independent charter airlines. As of January 2005, Britannia Airways operated services to the following international scheduled destinations: At the time of rebranding, the Britannia Airways fleet consisted of the following aircraft:[22]. Why not follow us on Facebook to be the first to find out about the latest developments. Sold to Transavia as PH-TVG. At one point, Britannia Airways GmbH employed roughly 200 people and operated a pair of Boeing 767-300s;[7] however, this division was relatively unsuccessful and ultimately closed down during March 2001. [12], On 16 August 1964, the airline was rebranded, becoming Britannia Airways;[7] this name was adopted to coincide with re-equipping with ex-British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) Bristol Britannia turboprop airliners to replace their Constellations. Britannia Airways AB; IATA 6B: ICAO BLX: Callsign BLUESCAN: Country: Sweden: Official Site: britanniaairways.se: Last updated on Oct 31, 2020. Britannia Airways Boeing 767-304(ER) Palma De Mallorca Son San Juan (PMI / LEPA) [2] As a result of this interest, during 1965, Britannia became part of Thomson, itself part of the Canadian-owned International Thomson Organisation. It was founded in 1961 as Euravia and became the world's largest holiday airline. Britannia started as Euravia, but the arrival of Bristol Britannia aircraft encouraged a name change. Airlines similar to or like Britannia Airways. Share. [7], During August 1988, Britannia's immediate parent company, the Thomson Travel Group, purchased Horizon Travel and its airline, Orion Airways, which was then integrated into Britannia. These pressure tactics ultimately proved to be unsuccessful; by 1975, Britannia was operating a fleet of 13 Boeing 737s. "Britannia Airways: Holiday Carrier to the World. Langton and aviation consultant J.E.D. [17] During the early 1990s, the airline launched its in-flight Royal Service brand to increase the profile of the company's high-end services, somewhat akin to the premium service levels available on scheduled airlines.

Britannia Airways fleet from 1970 to 1982 (Only those aircraft that were likely to have been seen at SEN are listed) Boeing 737-200 Series. [20] As part of a wider reorganisation of TUI's UK operations in September 2004, it was announced that Britannia would be rebranded as Thomsonfly.[21].

From the 1980s onwards Britannia operated a solely Boeing fleet, unlike their rivals which flew Boeing aircraft alongside Airbus and McDonnell Douglas aircraft. Topic.

In 2000, Thomson Travel Group, and thereby Britannia Airways, were acquired by Preussag AG (TUI Group) of Germany. This is a security measure to protect this website against data Air UK Leisure By the summer of 1998, Britannia's operations, which were by then centered around Germany, Scandinavia, and the United Kingdom, operated a mixed fleet of three Airbus A320s, a single Boeing 737-800, 24 757s, and 13 767s.