British Continental Airways

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British Continental Airways
Founded15 April 1935
Commenced operations1935
Ceased operationsOctober 1936
Operating bases Croydon Airport
Fleet sizeSee Aircraft below
Headquarters United Kingdom

British Continental Airways was a British airline that operated between 1935 and 1936, when it merged into British Airways. [1]

Contents

History

British Continental Airways Limited was formed on 15 April 1935 to operate airline services from Croydon Airport to the continent. [1] The first services were to Belgium; as well as Brussels, other Belgian destinations were added over the first year, including Ostend and Antwerp. Services were also run to Lille in France and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. [1] In partnership with KLM the airline operated a service between Amsterdam and Liverpool with a stop at Doncaster.

Originally formed as a private company, it became a public company on 31 October 1935 with a share capital of £50,000. [1] The airline became part of a dispute at the start of 1936 when it started a Scandinavian service as an extension of the Amsterdam route in competition with British Airways, as a government subsidy and a mail contract had already been given to British Airways. The government suggested that the two airlines should merge. [2] From 1 August 1936 BCA and the Scandinavian routes were absorbed into British Airways, although the Belgian routes continued to be operated under the BCA name for a further two months. [1]

Fleet

At the time of the merger with British Airways, British Continental Airways had the following:

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Doyle 2001, pp. 95-96
  2. "Subsidy Situation Clarified". Flight : 585. 28 May 1936.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Doyle 2001, pp. 115-118

Bibliography