Founded | 1946 |
---|---|
Ceased operations | 1962 |
Hubs |
Langley Airfield Dunsfold Aerodrome Bovingdon Airfield London Stansted Airport London Heathrow Airport London Gatwick Airport |
Fleet size | 9 aircraft (4 Lockheed L-749A Constellation, 1 Handley Page HP.81 Hermes, 4 Avro 685 York (as of April 1962)) |
Destinations | worldwide |
Headquarters | Central London |
Key people |
Brig Gen A.C. Critchley, Sir Alan Cobham, Sir Wavell Wakefield, Eric Rylands |
Skyways Limited was an early post-World War II British airline formed in 1946 that soon became established as the largest operator of non-scheduled air services in Europe.
Its principal activities included the operation of worldwide non-scheduled passenger and cargo services, including trooping and oil industry support flights, inclusive tour (IT) and ad hoc charters for automobile industry executives as well as specialist freight services.
The newly formed airline operated its first flight in 1946 with an Avro York that had been chartered by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company to carry oil personnel and freight from Langley to Basra via Manston, Malta, Cairo and Lydda.
Skyways was a major civilian participant in the Berlin Airlift and became one of Britain's foremost private, independent airlines during the 1950s and early 1960s.
Following the airline's liquidation in 1950 and transfer of the bankrupt carrier's assets to a new company incorporating the name Skyways, control passed to the Lancashire Aircraft Corporation (LAC) in 1952. LAC's acquisition of Skyways resulted in concentration of the combined group's operations at London Stansted Airport.