Dan-Air

Dan - Air was an existing 1953-1992 British airline based in London.

History

The airline was registered on 21 May 1953, the name " Dan - Air Services Limited" as Tochtergesellgeschaft the shipping offices " Davies and Newman " in London. The real estate agency took over as creditors of the bankrupt company " Meredith Air Transport " their possessions in Southend, which includes the only powered aircraft, a Douglas DC -3 ( aircraft registration G - AMSU ) belonged. It became the part of the name Dan summarized the initials of the owner of Davies and Newman " dar.

The commercial air service began in June 1953 with the route Southend to Shannon via Manchester (then " Ringway Airport "). In summer and autumn 1953, the DC -3 was profitable chartered in England and Europe, this also included the acquisition of transport under the second "mini - Berlin Airlift ". That same year, with flights to the Channel Islands of the line service, which by the end of 4000 passengers could be carried.

In January 1954, Dan - Air, the second DC-3 (G- AMSS ) from the bankruptcy estate of on the Stansted Airport ( Essex ) -based company William Dempster Limited. 1955 Dan - Air moved from Southend on the situated in West London former military airfield at Blackbushe. Here, had already established a number of other companies was (including Silver City Airways Airwork Limited, British Aviation Services), so that very limited for an expandable maintenance base, the available space. In addition to that individual taxiways and even a runway crossed the A30, leading to the frequent closure to traffic. This meant that Dan - Air at the nearby military airfield Lasham, between Alton and Basingstoke einrichtete a maintenance base. This subsidiary was renamed as " Dan - Air Engineering Limited".

Early 1955, the two DC-3 were supplemented by three Avro York, which were bought by the Royal Air Force. With the Yorks, the first long-haul operations were carried out of flights to Africa. In connection with the Hungarian national uprising in December 1956, led by rescue flights, with about 350 refugees were brought to England. After the Ministry of Civil Aviation had completed the two-year extension of the small airfield at Gatwick to an airport in 1958, was the closure of the base in Blackbushe and the relocation of the Dan - Air flight operations to Gatwick in Surrey. At that time, Dan - Air began with the implementation of charter flights for budget travelers, a business unit, which remained one of the core activities of the company until the end.

The first aircraft with a pressurized cabin were procured in 1960. The three ex -BEA Airspeed Ambassador came from Butler Air Transport in Australia and routes operated by the Netherlands, France, Germany and Belgium. In 1961, Dan - Air, the equipment and aircraft based in Prestwick Scottish society Scottish Airlines. This had to close down their businesses after five of their Avro York were lost and as a result of the Treaty on the transport of troops across the North Atlantic and was terminated in the Middle and Far East from the Air Ministry. Dan - Air was next to a third DC-3 also the rights for the flight route between Prestwick and the Isle of Man.

As of May 1966, two former BOAC de Havilland DH106 Comet have both been extensively rebuilt in Lasham, to make them suitable for the planned short-haul operation at Dan -Air. Dan - Air, making it the second British company that had jets in its fleet. With the start of a Comet on March 31, 1968 by Berlin -Tegel to Malaga 's long -term cooperation with Neckermann and travel, coupled with the establishment of a base in Berlin began. In October 1969, we introduced the first transatlantic flight by travelers to Trinidad. Overall, between Dan - Air Comet nearly 50 in its fleet, which the company into the world's largest operators of this pattern. In March 1971 was followed by the introduction of the Boeing 707, the same year also saw the conversion into a public limited company ( public limited company ) and the separation of sea and air operations into two independent companies.

Beginning of 1970, Dan - Air, the subsidiary " Gatwick Handling Ltd. " for the operation of the airport, which decided to work closely with Laker Airways and British Airport Authority in February 1972. The company is now called " Aviance ".

The different operated by Dan - Air aircraft models made ​​it possible to respond flexibly to the requirements of the charter business. Thus, the 89 -seat BAC 1-11 was used as one of the most used pattern for this purpose from 1969, also flew from September, the Boeing 727, with a seating capacity between Boeing 707 and BAC 1-11. By the end of Dan - Air Boeing 727 a total of 22 were procured. On April 25, 1980, the company hit by the crash of a Boeing 727 at Tenerife ( flight DAN 1008), which claimed 146 lives, the worst air disaster up to that of a UK authorized machine. ( Seven dead in the crash of a B707 freighter ) affected early on 14 May 1977 to 31 July 1979 ( 17 dead, Hawker Siddeley HS 748 ) was Dan - Air of catastrophic accidents.

An important factor which led to the decline of Dan - Air, was the use of its own airlines of the large tour operators to transport their package customers. The purchase of capacity on free sources, however, was significantly reduced. The increase in scheduled flight network and the sale of " Dan - Air Engineering " ( 1991 £ 27.5 million ) did not bring the desired success, was held that after merger opportunities. The plan to make with Virgin Atlantic a society together " Virgin European Airways ", was shattered. Finally, it was met with British Airways ( BA) an agreement. On 23 October 1992 Dan - Air bought BA for the symbolic price of one pound including the not inconsiderable debt. This was accompanied by the sacking of 1,500 of the 2,000 employees at Dan - Air and decommissioning of all aircraft, with the exception of twelve Boeing 737, which were further operated by BA.

Fleet

Dan - Air operation, inter alia, following aircraft types:

  • Airbus A300
  • Airspeed Ambassador AS.57
  • Avro York
  • BAC 1-11
  • BAe 146
  • Boeing 707
  • Boeing 727
  • Boeing 737
  • Bristol 170 Freighter
  • De Havilland Comet 4
  • Douglas DC-3/C-47
  • Douglas DC-4
  • Douglas DC-7
  • Hawker Siddeley HS 748
  • North 262
  • Vickers Viscount
IATA-Code International Civil Aviation Organization airport code Alton (Hampshire) Hungarian Revolution of 1956 British European Airways British Overseas Airways Corporation Airliners.net
214531
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