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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1513.PDF
628 FLIGHT AIR KRUISE The Story of an Up-and-coming Bristol Independent Airline Two of the Air Kruise DC-3 fleet are seen on the apron at Ferryfield. In the background is one of Silver City's Superfreighters. THE recent announcement of the first home order for theHandley Page Herald highlighted two developments in British air transport—the impressive growth of Air Kruise, the operatorconcerned; and the equally remarkable progress of coach-air travel, a form of transport which Air Kruise have helped to pioneer.The background to the order, for "not fewer than six Heralds," was explained to us recently by W/C. Hugh Kennard, D.F.C.,managing director of Air Kruise, at Ferryfield, the company's base. Kennard, who was a pilot with Fighter Command throughoutthe war and commander of No. 500 Squadron, R.Aux.A.F., from 1949-52, formed Air Kruise (Kent), Ltd., at Lympne in August1946. The company is thus one of the oldest of the British independents. At first the staff consisted of Kennard and his wifeAudrey (who still plays a very active part indeed in the firm's day-to-day affairs), a pilot and an engineer. Initially, the fleetconsisted of one four-seat Miles Messenger (actually the first of its kind delivered to a civil buyer), joined shortly afterwards by aPercival Proctor and Q.6 and a miscellany of light aeroplanes used by the Kent Coast Flying Club, also a Kennard concern. For the first few years, Air Kruise earned nearly all their revenuefrom charter flights—mostly to nearby Continental destinations. The reason for Kennard's choice of Lympne as a base was, ofcourse, its proximity to France. As the company's name suggests, it was formed with other activities than charter in mind. As earlyas 1946 the Q.6 was used for an inclusive tour service to Nice (16 days for £75), in conjunction with Fourways, one of the leadingtours organizers. This was perhaps the first experiment in a business which has become a major source of revenue to AirKruise and twelve other British independents. In 1950, under a change in Government policy, Air Kruise wereauthorized to begin scheduled services to Le Touquet; later, approval was also given for regular flights from Lympne to Ostendand Calais. Rapides were used on these routes until last year, when DC-3s were first introduced. Over the years Kennard made repeated attempts to interestcoach-tours organizers in the possibilities of using air for the cross-Channel section of tourists' itineraries, but his efforts borelittle fruit until 1954. In that year his aircraft carried 16,000 tours passengers between Lympne and Basle, Ostend and LeTouquet. It should perhaps be explained that the inclusive-tour passengerpays an all-in fee to the organizer for coach and air travel, meals and accommodation abroad. The airline operates under contractto the tours organizer, but since regular flights are involved Government authority must be sought through the Air TransportAdvisory Council. Experience has shown that inclusive tours represent a new market untapped by normal scheduled air services. Personalities behind Air Kruise are W/C. Hugh Kennard and Mrs. Audrey Kennard, his wife, business partner and traffic manager. The majority of tours passengers to date have not previouslytravelled by air. For Air Kruise, this year's season began with a change of base—from Lympne to Ferryfield, the Silver City airport at Lydd. The fleet was increased throughout the season to keep pace witha 150 per cent increase in traffic. Altogether, Air Kruise have carried 40,000 passengers this year, and the number of destinationsserved has increased from three to eleven. Points on the Air Kruise network have included Venice, Copenhagen, Salzburg,Basle and Turin. The peak fleet strength of five 32-seat DC-3s and one 46-seat Bristol 170 (used mainly on the busy Ostend route)will be increased next year by a further two DC-3s and two more Bristols. Tours organizers have already booked 60,000 seats for1956, and planning of schedules is well under way. Additional terminal facilities will undoubtedly be required at Ferryfield,and it seems probable that next season will find Air Kruise installed in their own separate building. On May 1st, 1954, Air Kruise became a subsidiary of Britavia,Ltd., then the holding company of a group of firms which in- cluded Silver City Airways and Aquila Airways. Britavia's roleas parent company has now been taken over by British Aviation Services, Ltd., and Britavia itself is a subsidiary operating company.Obviously, Air Kruise have benefited considerably from the in- creased financial backing resulting from their association with theB.A.S. group; it would be wrong, however, to assume that the merger was entirely responsible for Air Kruise's expansion. Eachcompany within the group retains its separate identity and management, though making use of the centralized terminal andengineering facilities provided by Ferry Airports, Ltd., responsible for overhauls and servicing at both Blackbushe and Ferryfield. W/C. Kennard remains managing director of Air Kruise, andhis co-directors are Mr. E. C. Mekie and A. Cdre. G. J. Powell (chairman and managing director respectively of British AviationServices), and Mr. W. G. Franklin, also a director of Silver City Airways. The decision to buy Heralds was made at a B.A.S. board meet-ing on September 22nd, and was announced by Mr. Mekie the same day. It followed a demonstration flight for company execu-tives at Farnborough and discussions between them and G/C. Collard, Handley Page's sales manager. Mr. Mekie's announce-ment said that the Herald would "supplement and eventually replace" the DC-3s and Bristols used by Air Kruise, and A. Cdre.Powell commented that the new aircraft was "ideally suited" to the short and medium-range traffic of Air Kruise. It could usethe smaller airfields on both sides of the Channel, yet still had the speed, range and pressurized cabin to take passengers incomfort to more distant resorts. W/C. Kennard expects that the Herald's operating cost will approximate to that of the DC-3,but that the increased capacity (for 44 passengers, compared with 32), will result in considerably lowered seat-mile costs. The independents' faith in the future of coach-air and inclusivetour services is shared, apparently, by the Air Transport Advisory Council. In its annual report for the period 1954-55, the Councilobserved that: "The general outcome of the hearings and the recommendations of the Council was that a much greater numberof inclusive tour services were approved by the Minister than in previous years. The Council are convinced that the trafficwhich will for the most part be carried on these services will not be traffic which B.E.A. would ordinarily carry or which wouldin most other circumstances travel by air at all. They consider that these services should be of value in stimulating the interestsof new sections of the public in air transport and that they may therefore in the long run prove to be of indirect benefit to theAirways Corporations. For the most part, inclusive tour services were recommended for operation in 1955 only, though this was notintended in any way to prevent companies from submitting fresh applications for similar services in later years. It may provepossible, when further information is available from traffic figures for the summer of 1955 about their effects on the normal scheduledservices of established operators, to approve inclusive tour services for slightly longer periods than hitherto." -
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