Skyways Cargo
.jpg) | |
| Founded | April 1967 (as Air Freight) |
|---|---|
| Commenced operations | February 1971 (as Air Freight) |
| Ceased operations | 16 October 1980 (as Skyways Cargo) |
| Hubs | Lydd airport |
| Parent company | Eric Rylands Ltd. |
| Headquarters | Lydd airport (Kent) |
| Key people |
|
Skyways Cargo was a cargo and passenger charter airline based in Romney Marsh, Kent, England, United Kingdom. After some years of success, under the historic brand Skyways, it suddenly ceased operations in 1980.
History
Air Freight
The airline was estabilished in April 1967 as Air Freight Ltd. and did not initially own any aircraft nor undertake any airline activity, but merely acted as general sales agent for Skyways Coach-Air. In 1970, it was decided to take over the operation of three DC 3 freighters, although they continued to fly in Skyways livery over the existing scheduled routes linking Ashford (Lympne), Antwerp and Beauvais in northern France.[1]
At the time of Skyways Coach-Air’s change of ownership in February 1971, the DC 3s belonging to the Air Cargo Division did not form part of the deal and these aircraft were transferred to Air Freight and painted in the new colors.[2] The holding company Eric Rylands Ltd. retained ownership of the airline in partnership with Sea Freight Ltd and Beauvais Transit SA. Operations continued seamlessly over the above mentioned routes, together with vehicle component charters to Belgium and West Germany on behalf of various car manufacturers.[1] In October 1972, Air Freight bought out Exeter-based South West Aviation, adding a fourth Dakota to the fleet.[2][3] In 1974, with the closure of Ashford’s Lympne airfield, the air carrier moved to nearby Lydd Airport.[3]
Skyways Cargo
,_Skyways_AN0573075.jpg)
The year 1975 proved to be one of major change for the small airline; on 15 May the name was changed Skyways Cargo Airline Ltd. and three more DC 3s were obtained, bringing the fleet up to seven aircraft.[4] From July, one aircraft was transferred to Aberdeen to operate passenger and cargo charters on behalf of Peters Aviation including the stationing of an aircraft at Aberdeen Airport. Another two aircraft were stationed at Aberdeen by autumn 1976. Eventually this business built up to keep three aircraft occupied on regular flights to the Shetlands, East Anglia, Denmark, Germany, Holland and Norway. Scheduled night cargo services were also flown for Sabena between London-Heathrow and Brussels and for KLM from London-Gatwick to Amsterdam.[4]
By early 1976, Skyways Cargo had extended its oil related activities to North Africa, ferrying both personnel and heavy machinery to support offshore rigs. The small scheduled cargo network was proving exceedingly popular with freight forwarders, who were able to undercut IATA rates by up to 30% by assembling consignments at Heathrow and roading them to Lydd for onward carriage to the Continent. Amsterdam (later Rotterdam) was also added to this small network, flown from both Lydd and East Midlands.[4]
Early in 1979, a programme of fleet modernisation was begun with the arrival of the first Fairchild-Hiller FH-227B aircraft, bought after appropriate conversion to quick-change interior.[4] This event coincided with cessation of all oil related charters. Compensating for this loss of business, Skyways became the recipient of a Post Office contract to fly first-class mail between Gatwick to East Midlands each weekday night. In August 1980 a second contract was in force for Lydd to Liverpool. A night-time newspaper run was also undertaken by the DC 3s between Luton and Amsterdam. Utilising the FH-227s quick-change capability, passenger services were re-opened between Lydd and Jersey in May 1980.[4]
However, the airline expansionist strategy was not as successful as hoped, and growing financial difficulties forced the sudden closure on 16 October 1980,[4][2] following the appointmenmt of Receivers. Although efforts were made to revive the last survivor bearing the famous Skyways name, ultimately these were not successful.
Fleet
Air Freight and Skyways Cargo fleet consisted of the following aircraft types from 1971 to 1980:
| Aircraft type | Total | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Douglas DC 3 | 7 | |
| Fairchild-Hiller FH-227B | 2 | |
| H.P. Herald | 1 | leased |
See also
![[icon]](/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Merton Jones, A.C. (1976). British Independent Airlines since 1946. Maidenhead (U.K.): LAAS International and Merseyside Aviation Society. p. 421. ISBN 0 902420 07 0. Search this book on
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Aircraft (Gone but not forgotten ... Skyways), p. 60, Ian Allan Publishing, Hersham, Christmas 2010
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Airliner World (Skyways: Another turbulent spell), p. 69, Key Publishing, Stamford, November 2011
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Wickstead, M.J. (2014). Airlines of the British Isles since 1919. Staplefield (West Sussex - U.K.): Air Britain (Historians) Ltd. pp. 385–386. ISBN 978-0-85130-456-4. Search this book on
External links
History
Air Freight
The airline was estabilished in April 1967 as Air Freight Ltd. and did not initially own any aircraft nor undertake any airline activity, but merely acted as general sales agent for Skyways Coach-Air. In 1970, it was decided to take over the operation of three DC 3 freighters, although they continued to fly in Skyways livery over the existing scheduled routes linking Ashford (Lympne), Antwerp and Beauvais in northern France.[1]
At the time of Skyways Coach-Air’s change of ownership in February 1971, the DC 3s belonging to the Air Cargo Division did not form part of the deal and these aircraft were transferred to Air Freight and painted in the new colors.[2] The holding company Eric Rylands Ltd. retained ownership of the airline in partnership with Sea Freight Ltd and Beauvais Transit SA. Operations continued seamlessly over the above mentioned routes, together with vehicle component charters to Belgium and West Germany on behalf of various car manufacturers.[3] In October 1972, Air Freight bought out Exeter-based South West Aviation, adding a fourth Dakota to the fleet.[2][4] In 1974, with the closure of Ashford’s Lympne airfield, the air carrier moved to nearby Lydd Airport.[4]
Skyways Cargo
The year 1975 proved to be one of major change for the small airline; on 15 May the name was changed Skyways Cargo Airline Ltd. and three more DC 3s were obtained, bringing the fleet up to seven aircraft.[5] From July, one aircraft was transferred to Aberdeen to operate passenger and cargo charters on behalf of Peters Aviation including the stationing of an aircraft at Aberdeen Airport. Another two aircraft were stationed at Aberdeen by autumn 1976. Eventually this business built up to keep three aircraft occupied on regular flights to the Shetlands, East Anglia, Denmark, Germany, Holland and Norway. Scheduled night cargo services were also flown for Sabena between London-Heathrow and Brussels and for KLM from London-Gatwick to Amsterdam.[6]
By early 1976, Skyways Cargo had extended its oil related activities to North Africa, ferrying both personnel and heavy machinery to support offshore rigs. The small scheduled cargo network was proving exceedingly popular with freight forwarders, who were able to undercut IATA rates by up to 30% by assembling consignments at Heathrow and roading them to Lydd for onward carriage to the Continent. Amsterdam (later Rotterdam) was also added to this small network, flown from both Lydd and East Midlands.[7]
Early in 1979, a programme of fleet modernisation was begun with the arrival of the first Fairchild-Hiller FH-227B aircraft, bought after appropriate conversion to quick-change interior.[8] This event coincided with cessation of all oil related charters. Compensating for this loss of business, Skyways became the recipient of a Post Office contract to fly first-class mail between Gatwick to East Midlands each weekday night. In August 1980 a second contract was in force for Lydd to Liverpool. A night-time newspaper run was also undertaken by the DC 3s between Luton and Amsterdam. Utilising the FH-227s quick-change capability, passenger services were re-opened between Lydd and Jersey in May 1980.[9]
However, the airline expansionist strategy was not as successful as hoped, and growing financial difficulties forced the sudden closure on 16 October 1980,[10][2] following the appointmenmt of Receivers. Although efforts were made to revive the last survivor bearing the famous Skyways name, ultimately these were not successful.
Fleet
Air Freight and Skyways Cargo fleet consisted of the following aircraft types from 1971 to 1980:
| Aircraft type | Total | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas DC 3 | 7 | ||
| Fairchild-Hiller FH-227B | 2 | ||
| H.P. Herald | 1 | leased |
See also
References
- ↑ Merton Jones, A.C. (1976). British Independent Airlines since 1946. Maidenhead (U.K.): LAAS International and Merseyside Aviation Society. p. 421. ISBN 0 902420 07 0. Search this book on
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Aircraft (Gone but not forgotten ... Skyways), p. 60, Ian Allan Publishing, Hersham, Christmas 2010
- ↑ Merton Jones, A.C. (1976). British Independent Airlines since 1946. Maidenhead (U.K.): LAAS International and Merseyside Aviation Society. p. 421. ISBN 0 902420 07 0. Search this book on
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Airliner World (Skyways: Another turbulent spell), p. 69, Key Publishing, Stamford, November 2011
- ↑ Wickstead, M.J. (2014). Airlines of the British Isles since 1919. Staplefield (West Sussex - U.K.): Air Britain (Historians) Ltd. pp. 385–386. ISBN 978-0-85130-456-4. Search this book on
- ↑ Wickstead, M.J. (2014). Airlines of the British Isles since 1919. Staplefield (West Sussex - U.K.): Air Britain (Historians) Ltd. pp. 385–386. ISBN 978-0-85130-456-4. Search this book on
- ↑ Wickstead, M.J. (2014). Airlines of the British Isles since 1919. Staplefield (West Sussex - U.K.): Air Britain (Historians) Ltd. pp. 385–386. ISBN 978-0-85130-456-4. Search this book on
- ↑ Wickstead, M.J. (2014). Airlines of the British Isles since 1919. Staplefield (West Sussex - U.K.): Air Britain (Historians) Ltd. pp. 385–386. ISBN 978-0-85130-456-4. Search this book on
- ↑ Wickstead, M.J. (2014). Airlines of the British Isles since 1919. Staplefield (West Sussex - U.K.): Air Britain (Historians) Ltd. pp. 385–386. ISBN 978-0-85130-456-4. Search this book on
- ↑ Wickstead, M.J. (2014). Airlines of the British Isles since 1919. Staplefield (West Sussex - U.K.): Air Britain (Historians) Ltd. pp. 385–386. ISBN 978-0-85130-456-4. Search this book on
External links
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