George Birkett forms his air charter operation at London (Heston) in 1932. Flights are started in February 1935 with a de Havilland DH 85 Leopard Moth and a Miles M.4 Merlin, the former aircraft being lost in a Heston crash on July 10.
Two more DH 85s are received in 1936 and these fly long-distance, on-demand services to the Middle East and Africa, as well as press and cargo flights about the U. K. Another Leopard Moth is received in June 1937.
All operations are suspended upon the outbreak of war on September 3, 1939; a DH 90 Dragonfly on order is accepted in December and sold in March 1940.
In January and March 1947, a DH 89A and an Airspeed AS.65 Consul are, respectively, accepted. These are employed to resume company business from London (Croydon) in May. Another Dragon Rapide is taken in April, followed by a third in May 1948, the same month in which a Percival Proctor 4 is acquired.
Under a British European Airways Corporation (BEA) associate agreement, scheduled flights Shoreham-Deauville are inaugurated on July 1, 1950. Summer pleasure charters are flown in 1951 and 1952, with sufficient demand in the latter year for some flights to be offered from London (Northolt).
Unable to begin two scheduled routes to Alderney in summer 1953 and without the previous year’s pleasure charters, the carrier stops flying on July 31.
BIRMINGHAM EUROPEAN AIRWAYS, LTD.: United Kingdom (1989-1992). Maersk Air, A. S., Brymon Airways, Ltd., and British Airways, Ltd. (2) jointly acquire ownership of Birmingham Executive Airways, Ltd. in the spring of 1989 and rename it Birmingham European Airways, Ltd. The three begin to remodel their subsidiary into an important European regional and increase its employee population by 47.9% to 247.
During the summer, the old fleet of 3 Grumman G-159 Gulfstream 1As and 3 British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 31s is upgraded by the delivery of 2 leased BAe (BAC) 1-11-408EFs and 1 BAC 1-11-500 from British Airways, Ltd. (2) and 2 Fokker 50s from Maersk Air, A. S. The BACs inaugurate twice-daily scheduled passenger flights from Birmingham to Copenhagen while the Fokker 50s initiate services from the same British city to Amsterdam, Paris, and Stuttgart. The company’s first domestic route, from Birmingham to Newcastle, is also started.
Enplanements skyrocket 90.7% for the renamed enterprise, climbing to 92,300. Revenues also increase an impressive 132.1% to $30.7 million.
Company employment is increased by 39.7% in 1990 to 346. Five more BAC 1-11s enter service and they, together with the older aircraft, receive the new livery indicative of the company’s new corporate identity. The Jetstreams are put up for sale as new jet routes to Belfast, Stockholm, and Cork are added to the system. Passenger boardings increase 170% to 215,000.
The fleet in 1991 includes 3 Jetstream 31s, 1 BAe (BAC) 1-11-401AK, 2 1-11-408EFs, 1 1-11-416EK, and 2 G-159 Gulfstream 1As. BAC service to Copenhagen is launched in January. Enplanements this year climb to 250,491 and freight reaches 433,000 FTKs.
One Jetstream 31 is taken out of service in 1992; otherwise, operations continue apace. In March, frequencies on the Belfast route are increased to five per day. On April 1, weekly BAC Saturday roundtrips to Rome and Milan are introduced. The new frequencies complement the twice-daily weekday and single Sunday return services already offered. On May 1, daily BAC return service is launched to Dublin, along with a Saturday roundtrip from Birmingham to Cork.
Later in May, it is announced that the carrier will be merged with Bry-mon Airways, Ltd., becoming Brymon European Airways, Ltd. The union is completed on October 25.
BIRMINGHAM EXECUTIVE AIRWAYS, LTD.: United Kingdom (1982-1989). To exploit several thin, long-haul routes abandoned by British Airways, Ltd. (2), Trevor G. Jones forms this regional at Birmingham Airport in November 1982. A pair of BAe Jetstream 31s are delivered in late April-early May 1983, allowing Birmingham Executive, with a staff of 47, to begin third-level passenger services over a Birm-ingham-Zurich route on June 8. To attract a desired clientele of business travelers, hot meals and complimentary beverages are offered on all flights. Enplanements through December total 7,000.
By 1984, the fleet has grown to include 3 Jetstream 31s and additional international regional routes are started to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Geneva, Milan, and Stuttgart.
The carrier becomes the first U. K. operator of the SAAB-Fairchild SF340 early in 1985, placing the Swedish-American turboprop into business-class service to Switzerland, Denmark, and other European markets in March. Boardings for the year are 27,276.
Airline employment stands at 97 in 1986, as Geoffrey Simmonds becomes chairman. Unhappy with the SAAB 340A, it is returned to its manufacturer and the fleet reverts to 4 Jetstream 31s (1 leased) in the spring. The first 2 of 3 ex-Philip Morris corporate Grumman G-159 Gulf-stream 1Cs, refurbished and leased long-term, arrive in late fall. When the British government makes available a series of $450,000 grants for new services out of provincial cities, BEA commences Birmingham-Dusseldorf and Frankfurt flights in September. Service to previous destinations is also so financed.
The workforce is increased to 130 in 1987; however, the leased Jetstream is returned. The third G-159 arrives in April. A total of 52,000 passengers are flown on the company’s 9 routes. That figure increases to 50,000 in 1988. In the spring of 1989, Maersk Air, A. S., British Airways, Ltd. (2), and Brymon Airways, Ltd. jointly acquire the airline and rename it Birmingham European Airways, Ltd.
BISCAYNE HELICOPTERS: 13955 SW 127th St., Building. 121, Tamiami Airport, Miami, Florida 33186, United States; Phone (305) 252-3883; Fax (305) 378-4407; Year Founded 1970. BH is set up at Miami in 1970 to provide executive and public passenger charters in the South Florida area. In 1988, the company receives its first support contract from Channel 7, a local television station. An Aerospatiale AS-350B AStar is dedicated to the search for news; however, it is soon replaced with a Bell 206B JetRanger. The following year, the company begins flying a JetRanger on behalf of Channel 6.
In 1990, President Paul Barth’s company enters the EMS medical helicopter field, employing a Bell 206L LongRanger on behalf of Lower Florida Keys hospital at Key West. The Bell is soon replaced with an Agusta A-109. Over the next three years, another Agusta A-109 enters service as the company begins flying on behalf of Fisherman’s Hospital at Marathon Key and Mariner’s Hospital at Taverner, as well as Baptist Hospital at Tamiami, near Miami.
When Hurricane Andrew slashes through South Florida in 1992, Bis-cayne is fortunate in that it has been able to relocate most of its aircraft to Kissimmee, outside Orlando, a day or so before the storm strikes. Still, all of the company’s facilities, including its hangar, are destroyed. It will take several years before all of the facilities are replaced; however, the company is back flying within days of the disaster.
On August 1, 1995, the fleet is doubled at the stroke of a pen when Biscayne purchases Pompano-based Suncoast Helicopters from Huizenga Holdings and merges it under the Biscayne name. Company pilots now operate 9 JetRangers, 2 LongRangers, 2 AStars, and 2 A109s. During the year, the company begins flying a LongRanger on behalf of Channel 10.
Flights continue in 1996-2000. Daryl Martin is president and he employs 13 pilots at three bases. At Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport, Biscayne stations 4 Bell 206B JetRangers, 2 Bell 206L LongRangers, 2 Agusta A-109s, and 1 Aerospatiale AS-350B AStar.
Two AStars and 3 JetRangers are based at Pompano Beach Airpark while another JetRanger flies from Tampa International Airport.
BISHOP-BARKER AEROPLANES, LTD.: Canada (1920). Famed Canadian World War I aces William A. “Billy” Bishop and W. G. Barker establish this pioneer charter service at Toronto Island in late spring 1920 for the purpose of flying customers to the Muskoka Lakes district resort area 110 miles to the north. Employing a single Curtiss HS-2L flying boat, weekend roundtrips are inaugurated in early June.
With four aboard, the American-made aircraft, piloted by R. F. McRae, suffers engine failure and makes a hard forced landing on September 10. Although no serious injuries occur, the plane must be written off. Although a replacement HS-2L is purchased in October, the year is too late for its delivery and the line closes.
BISMILLAH AIRLINES, LTD.: Arafat Tower, 94 Dit Road, Mailbag, Dhaka, 1217, Bangladesh; Phone 880 (2) 835-222; Year Founded 1995. With majority ownership by the Molah Group (80%), Bismillah is established at Dhaka in 1995. M. A. Mannan is appointed managing director and he negotiates provisional operating authority in 1996. Final approval is received from the government in December 1998 and scheduled Antonov An-26 all-cargo services are inaugurated to Bangkok in January 1999. The workforce in 2000 stands at 21.
BISON AIR LINES: United States (1962-1964). Established at Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1962, Bison undertakes scheduled Aero Commander 500 passenger flights linking its base with Roswell, Artesia, and Carlsbad. Operations are maintained for two more years.
BIZJET CHARTER GROUP: Palm Beach International Airport, Building C, 1500 Perimeter Road, West Palm Beach, Florida 33406, United States; Phone (561) 478-5055; Fax (561) 233-8561; Year Founded 1967. BCG is set up at West Palm Beach in 1967 to provide executive and small group passenger charters throughout South Florida and the Caribbean. Operations continue apace over the next 30 years and, by 2000, the fleet includes 1 each Cessna 500 Citation I, Piper PA-31T Cheyenne II, and PA-23-250 Aztec F.
World History
