Starways
| Founded | 7 December 1948 |
|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 1949 |
| Ceased operations | 31 December 1964 |
| Operating bases | Liverpool (Speke) Airport |
| Key people | F.H.Wilson, J.A.Wilson |
Starways was a British airline which operated from 1948 until 1963. The company offered freight transport, passenger charter services and serviced internal and international scheduled routes.
The airline was formed at Blackpool in 1948 by two pilots, Captain Noel Rodnight and Captain Albert Dean, to operate a charter service using a Percival Petrel for celebrities appearing in the Blackpool shows. The company started operations from Blackpool Airport in January 1949 with the Petrel. In May 1950 the Petrel was destroyed in an accident and replaced with an Avro Anson. In 1950 the business was relocated to Liverpool (Speke) Airport and F.H.Wilson & J.A.Wilson joined the company as executives. As well as joyriding flights the fleet now included two more twin-engined Avro Ansons to operate newspaper and freight flights including for one season a regular service between Liverpool and London.
The Wilson family were successful businessmen in Liverpool owning Limocoat Ltd and later the Famous Army Stores. They were also involved with the Cathedral Touring Agency (CTA), a travel company, which provided most all-inclusive, tour business for the airline. In 1951, F.H. Wilson was appointed chairman of the board and by 1954 the family had acquired full control of the company.
In the early fifties, the airline expanded, acquiring a number of Douglas DC-3s, including two prewar-built examples. This expansion was to operate seasonal tourist charters and build-up a network of summer scheduled services from Liverpool including flights to continental European destinations including Lourdes and Biarritz.
In 1957 the airline purchased the larger four-engined Douglas DC-4 with four further examples being acquired between March 1960 and January 1963. The first DC-4 charter was flown on 8 January 1958 between Liverpool and Southend Airport with football supporters. The Skymasters and DC-3s were also used on scheduled services from Liverpool to London Heathrow and from Liverpool and Manchester to Newquay in Cornwall.
...
Wikipedia