British Aviation Services
| Founded | 1946 |
|---|---|
| Ceased operations | 1962 (taken over by British United Airways) |
| Hubs | Blackbushe Airport |
| Alliance | Air Kruise, Aquila Airways, Silver City Airways |
| Fleet size | 43 aircraft (5 Handley Page Hermes, 14 Bristol Superfreighter, 7 Bristol Freighter, 7 Douglas DC-3, 1 Douglas DC-2, 3 Short Solent, 2 de Havilland Heron, 3 de Havilland Dragon Rapide, 1 Airspeed Consul (as of April 1958)) |
| Destinations | worldwide |
| Headquarters | Central London |
| Key people |
Air Cdre Griffith J. Powell, Eoin C. Mekie, A. V-M. S.D. MacDonald, W.G. Franklin, M.D. Day |
British Aviation Services Limited (Britavia) was an early post-World War II airline holding company and air transport operator that could trace its roots back to 1946. Its main activities included trooping, inclusive tour (IT) and worldwide passenger and freight charter services. British Aviation Services' first investment in a British independent airline occurred in 1946, when it acquired a minority interest in Silver City Airways. Silver City Airways operated the world's first cross-Channel air ferry service on 13 July 1948. It subsequently became British Aviation Services' biggest operating division. In 1953, British Aviation Services took over the independent airline Air Kruise. The same year, BAS Group also took control of Aquila Airways, the last commercial flying boat operator in the United Kingdom. The completion of these acquisitions by mid-1954 resulted in a reorganisation of the British Aviation Services group, with British Aviation Services Ltd (BAS Group) becoming the group's holding company and Britavia one of its operating subsidiaries. By the late 1950s, BAS Group became Britain's largest independent airline operator. Its numerous operating divisions included Britavia's Hermes Division at Blackbushe Airport and Aquila Airways's Flying Boat Division at Hamble near Southampton. The former concentrated on trooping services and inclusive tours while the latter provided scheduled services to Portugal, the Canary Islands and Italy. In 1962, BAS Group merged with British United Airways (BUA), which by that time had replaced BAS as the UK's largest independent airline operator.
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