British United Airways

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British United Airways (BUA) was the largest independent UK based airline during the 1960s. Its origins can be traced to the merger of Airwork and Hunting Clan Air Transport in July 1960. The merger within the UK airline industry was necessitated by the apparent monopolisation of scheduled routes by the two British state-owned airlines British European Airways, BEA (who operated flights to domestic and European destinations) and the British Overseas Airways Corporation, BOAC (who operated all long-haul services including the former “empire routes”).

BUA began operations with a mixed fleet of Vickers Viscounts, Douglas DC-4s, DC-6s and C-47 Dakotas serving the original destinations of the founding companies. These included an extensive service to Africa which were essentially routes no longer deemed profitable by BOAC, in addition to other short-haul destinations which included Gibraltar, Rotterdam, Le Touquet and the Channel Islands.

By 1961 BUA had taken delivery of its first Bristol Britannia and gradually phased in the aircraft to operate its African routes, replacing the aging DC-4s and DC-6s. Eventually this would lead to a more modern turboprop fleet of Viscounts and newly acquired Bristol Britannias.

The retirement of older piston-engined aircraft and their replacement by modern counterparts was accompanied by an expansion of BUA. In 1962 the British United Group, a holding company for BUA, acquired two further airlines, Jersey Airlines and Silver City Airways. The operations of these airlines were reorganised creating British United Island Airways (BUIA).

Also during the early 1960s BUA began to acquire new routes. These included freight services to Central Africa, inclusive tour holiday flights, a cross-channel car transport operation (operated by Aviation Traders Carvairs and featured in the James Bond movie Goldfinger) and British troop transport contracts (usually to Singapore and Hong Kong). This occurred at the same time as a re-branding of its scheduled services to Africa as 'Skycoach'. This regeneration and expansion was typical of BUA’s then Managing Director Freddie Laker.

In 1964 the first of two Vickers VC-10s began operations with the routes to Africa, replacing the DC-6s and Bristol Britannia’s and becoming BUA’s standard long haul type. BUA had also applied for several long-haul destinations that BOAC were relinquishing, including the unpopular routes to South America initially operated by BSAAC (British South American Airways). BUA was responsible for the large cargo door design on the VC-10, since it wanted to operate with both cargo and passengers on its routes (emulating the earlier Carvair designed by Sir Freddie Laker's Aviation Traders). Passengers, cargo and cars would be transported on the aircraft. These routes were eventually awarded to BUA and a third VC-10 was ordered. By 1965 BUA welcomed the delivery of its newest jet, the BAC 1-11. BUA were now in a position to compete with BEA's scheduled services to European destinations. Its arrival also facilitated the creation of new domestic routes from Gatwick to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Belfast.

The final phasing out of BUA’s legacy fleet occurred around this time. Handley Page HPR.7 Dart Heralds were introduced in the early 1960s as eventual Dakota replacements with BUIA. By 1970 the Viscount, Britannia and DC-6 fleet had been replaced with the last Douglas C-47 Dakotas operating until 1968 with a service to Blackpool.

Despite this BUA was suffering from severe financial problems. In November 1970 the merger between BUA and the Scottish independent airline, Caledonian Airways was announced. The merger was justified on many grounds with both airlines being of similar size and with duplicated routes structures and fleet types. The new airline was to be known for an interim period as Caledonian//BUA before being rebranded British Caledonian.

Ironically this merger occurred at a time of similar acquisitions and conglomerations within the airline industry with BUA’s chief competitors (and reason for its creation), BEA and BOAC, forming British Airways in 1972.