British Airways Ltd (1935–39)

British Airways Ltd

British Airways Ltd timetables
Former type	Public limited company
Industry	Air transport
Fate	Merged with Imperial Airways
Predecessor	Spartan Air Lines United Airways Hillman's Airways
Successor	British Overseas Airways Corporation
Founded	1935
Defunct	1939
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Number of locations	Stapleford Aerodrome Heston Aerodrome Gatwick Airport Croydon Airport

British Airways Ltd was a British airline company operating in Europe in the period 1935–1939. It was formed in 1935 by the merger of Spartan Air Lines Ltd, United Airways Ltd (no relation to the US carrier United Airlines), and Hillman's Airways. Its corporate emblem was a winged lion.

On 30 September 1935, Allied British Airways Ltd was formed for the purpose of merging the publicly quoted company Hillman's Airways with the private companies of Spartan Air Lines and United Airways Ltd, both controlled by Whitehall Securities Corporation Ltd (WSC), owned by the Hon. Clive Pearson. Its directors were W. D. L. Roberts, Harold Balfour and John DeC Ballardie from WSC, plus John R. McCrindle, Edgar L. Granville and Gerard L. D'Erlanger from Hillman's. On 29 October 1935, the name was changed to British Airways Ltd, and on 11 December 1935 it converted to a public company. The combined assets of 37 operational aircraft included Armstrong Whitworth Argosy II, Spartan Three Seater, DH.60 Moths, DH.84 Dragons, DH.89 Dragon Rapides, DH.86As and Spartan Cruisers.

In early 1936, aircraft and services of Hillman's Airways were transferred from Stapleford Aerodrome to Heston Aerodrome, the principal base of Spartan Air Lines and United Airways; the single-engined types and most of the DH.84s were then sold. The London to Liverpool services of United Airways were discontinued, and the services between Liverpool, Blackpool, Isle of Man, Belfast and Glasgow were transferred to Northern & Scottish Airlines, a subsidiary company. The ownership of DH.89s and Spartan Cruisers was progressively transferred to Northern & Scottish, and the Argosy was withdrawn from use at Stanley Park Aerodrome (Blackpool).