British Eagle
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| Founded | 1948 | ||||||
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| Ceased operations | 1968 | ||||||
| Hubs |
RAF Aldermaston (1948–1950), London Luton Airport (1950–1952), Blackbushe Airport (1952–1960), London Heathrow Airport (1960–1968) |
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| Fleet size | 24 aircraft (8 jets: 1 Boeing 707-365C, 2 Boeing 707-138B, 5 BAC One-Eleven 300; 16 turboprops: 12 Bristol 175 Britannia 300s, 4 Vickers Viscount 700s) as of April 1968 |
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| Destinations | non-scheduled: worldwide scheduled: United Kingdom (1963–1968) Europe (1953–1968) Bermuda (1958–1962) Bahamas (1958–1962) United States (1962) western hemisphere (interregional) (1958–1962) |
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| Parent company | Eagle Aviation Ltd (1948–1963) British Eagle International Airlines Ltd (1963–1966) Eagle International Airlines Ltd (1966–1968) |
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| Headquarters |
Central London (1948–1962) London Heathrow Airport (1963–1965) Central London (1966–1968) |
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| Key people | H. R. Bamberg, A. R. Bamberg M. A. Guinane B. M. Williams N. Ashton-Hill F. F .A. Burden G. W. Pitt G. D. Peacock J. H. Sauvage H. P. Snelling Sir Patrick Dunn Prof R. Smith D. Haslegrave N. Thompson B. Greaves I. Grant J. Clacher S.E. Hoare A. Tame Capt J. Michie T. Keane |
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British Eagle International Airlines was a major British independent airline that operated from 1948 until it went into liquidation in 1968. It operated scheduled and charter services on a domestic, international and transatlantic basis over the years.
Harold Bamberg, a former wartime pilot, formed the airline on 14 April 1948 with a nominal capital of £100 as Eagle Aviation Ltd at Aldermaston. The initial fleet comprised two wartime bombers converted for carrying fruit and vegetables. The first aircraft to enter service was a converted Halifax Mk 8 with the civil registration G-AJBL. It operated Eagle's first commercial flight, carrying a cargo of cherries from Verona to Bovingdon. It subsequently transported fruit from Italy and Spain for the Covent Garden merchants. It was joined by a second Halifax, registered G-ALEF and christened Red Eagle. Both aircraft saw extensive service along with a further two others during the Berlin Airlift .
The airline acquired Air Freight Ltd with three more Halifaxes later the same year. Eagle acquired three Avro York aircraft in late 1949, followed by eight others, and used these until early 1955 for both passenger and freight charters. Eagle aviation moved to Luton in 1950. For most of its existence, the company's head office was located at 29 Clarges Street, London W1 Central London.
By 1951, Eagle Aviation had won its first regular Government trooping contracts, including the first regular contract awarded by the War Office for trooping flights between the UK and Singapore starting in August 1951. This helped keep its fleet of six Halifaxes and nine Avro Yorks busy and provided employment for 100 people including 12 pilots. Operations moved to Blackbushe Airport in 1952, followed a year later by the launch of secondary scheduled services in association with British European Airways (BEA), from whom Eagle had purchased a large fleet of Vickers Vikings.
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