FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1954
1954 - 1087.PDF
FLIGHT, 16 April 1954 487 IMPERIAL RECORD A Chronology of Britain's Former National Airline COMPILED By JOHN STROUD ONE of the greatest stories of air-transport achievement is that of the British national airline Imperial Airways, which came into being a little over 30 years ago—on March 31st, 1924. Formed from four pioneer companies, it had a small fleet—only four aeroplanes of which were twin- engined—and began work on short European routes. This company, with limited resources but with great drive, surveyed, opened and developed a series of trunk routes stretching to Australia, Hongkong, South, East and West Africa and a regular mail service to North America. Aero dromes had to be prepared and in some areas it was even necessary to build forts in which passengers could safely spend the night. When the company was incorporated into the present British Overseas Airways Corporation a sound system of world air routes had been firmly established and many of the small band of men and women who built that great system still constitute the backbone of British air transport. 1924 March 31st: Imperial Airways, Ltd., incorporated as the "chosen instrument" of the British Government, with the mission of developing British commercial air transport on an economic basis. The company was formed out of and took over the fleets of Handley Page Transport, Ltd., the Instone Air Line, Ltd., the Daimler Airway, and British Marine Air Navigation Co., Ltd. Original subsidy agreed as £1,000,000 spread over ten years, to be paid on declining scale. First chairman Sir Eric Geddes, managing director Lt. Col. Frank Searle, general mana ger George Woods Humphery. Total staff at incorporation, 260, including 19 pilots. Fleet: Three Handley Page W.8bs, two Supermarine Sea Eagles, one Vickers Vimy Commercial and seven D.H.34s. A D.H.34 operated Imperial Airways' first service (London-Paris, 26.4.24). April 26th: First service flown, London - Paris, by D.H.34 G-EBCX (Capt. H. S. Robertson). Earlier working prevented by pilots' strike. May 1st: Southampton - Guernsey service re-opened. May 2nd: London - Cologne service re-opened. May 3rd: London - Brussels - Cologne and London - Ostend -Cologne services opened. June 2nd: London -Amsterdam - Hanover - Berlin service opened in collaboration with Deutsche Aero-Lloyd. June 17th: London - Paris - Basle - Zurich service re-opened. November 3rd: First three-engined aeroplane commissioned: Handley Page W.8f, G-EBIX, City of Washington. 1925 May 15th: London - Amsterdam service became first sector of first through England -Scandinavia service. Swedish Air Lines flew Amsterdam - Copenhagen - Malmo sectors. August 31st: Operational, technical and commercial survey of Cairo - Karachi route begun by party representing Imperial Airways and Air Ministry. October 1st: Cairo - Karachi route survey completed. 1926 March 31st: Five new Handley Page airliners inspected by Dominion Prime Ministers at a naming ceremony at Croydon: W.9 G-EBLE City of New York, W.lOs G-EBMM City of Melbourne, G-EBMR City of Pretoria, G-EBMS City of London and G-EBMT City of Ottawa. Naming the Handley Page W.10 "City of Pretoria," Croydon, 31.3.26. July 16th: Armstrong Whitworth Argosy G-EBLO City of Birmingham commissioned on London - Paris route. 1927 January 7th: Fortnightly Basra - Baghdad - Cairo mail and passenger service began, timed to connect with P. and O. mail- boat service Marseilles to Port Said. De Havilland Hercules air craft used on this first British eastern route. First eastbound service January 12th. April: London - Paris and Paris - London "Silver Wing" services began with Argosy aircraft. July 15th: London - Le Touquet service opened. October: Second-class services introduced on London -Paris route. 1928 July 26th: First Short Calcutta flying-boat commissioned: G-EBVG, later named City of Alexandria. September 24th: Temporary Liverpool - Belfast mail and pas senger service began, using Calcutta flying-boats. Service closed October 4th. 1929 February 28th: Southampton - Guernsey route closed. March 30th: England - India weekly service opened via Paris, Basle, Genoa, Rome, Naples, Corfu, Athens, Suda Bay, Tobruk, Alexandria, Gaza, Rutbah Wells, Baghdad, Basra, Bushire, Lingeh, Jask and Gwadar, with terminal at Karachi. London to Basle by Argosy, Basle - Genoa by train, Genoa - Alexandria by Calcutta, thence by Hercules. June 14th: "Tea flights" begun. These cost passengers £2 2s and were made over London at week-ends in summer, tea being served aboard. Price reduced to £1 10s in 1931. Last operated in 1932. November 2nd: All-air route to India opened. European sector via Cologne, Nuremberg, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Skoplje to Salonica where flying-boats took over. Bad weather caused abandonment of this route on November 16th, after which passengers and mail were carried by rail between Cologne and Athens. November 11th: Operational, technical and commercial survey of Cairo to Cape Town route begun by Imperial Airways and Air Ministry. December 21st: London - Karachi service extended to Jodhpur. December 30th: London -Jodhpur service extended to Delhi. During the year Air Ministry concluded new agreement with First I.A.L machine in Nyasaland: D.H.66 Hercules, "City of Karachi."
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
