Skytrump is established at Moscow in 1991 to provide international freight charters and to undertake contract services. Director General Konstantin G. Vartanov recruits a 35-person workforce and flights are started with 1 each Antonov An-12, An-26, An-32, Ilyushin Il-76T, and Yak 42. Many of the services provided are operated on behalf of the UN to destinations in Kenya, Somalia, Mozambique, Ethiopia, South Africa, Zaire, Namibia, and Angola. As these services expand, the Antonov and Ilyushin freighter fleet is increased.
In 1994 alone, the company transports over 4,000 tons of relief supplies and equipment to war-torn Rwanda.
Beginning in 1995, the carrier undertakes cargo charters on behalf of Russian and other clients from Moscow to closer points, including Tbilisi, Baku, Ashkhabat, Almaty, Bishkek, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Senake, Kogalym, Usinsk, Khabarovsk, and Yazhno-Sakhalinsk. Working with the travel company Klassik Line, executive and public passenger charters are begun in 1996 from Moscow to all of the CIS points.
On February 1, 1997, the company is renamed Remex Airlines.
SKYWALKER, LTD.: Canada (1986-1988). Without benefit of a code-sharing agreement, this new third-level carrier is established at Toronto Island Airport in February 1986. Equipped with a pair of de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otters, it inaugurates scheduled roundtrip passenger service (C$18 one way) to Buffalo on March 31. Enplanements for the year total 30,500.
In January 1987, President Curtis Begg receives Canadian Transport Commission permission to use aircraft with up to 60 seats on its route. A third Twin Otter is acquired, a major new marketing campaign is undertaken, and daily frequencies are increased to 12 roundtrips. Later in the spring, flights begin to Rochester. Services across Lake Erie to Cleveland’s Burke Lakefront Airport are initiated in the fall. No traffic figures are released.
In April 1988, the carrier, in deep financial difficulties, is shutdown by its stockholders as a bad investment.
SKYWARD AVIATION, LTD.: P. O. Box 1207, Thompson Airport, Thompson, Manitoba, R8N 1P1, Canada; Phone (204) 778-7088; Fax (204) 677-9062; Code K9; Year Founded 1995. Skyward is set up at Thompson Airport in 1995 as the scheduled airline division of an FBO to provide scheduled passenger and cargo third-level service throughout the province. General Manager Frank P. Behrendt’s concern begins scheduled revenue operations with a pair of Embraer EMB-110P1 Ban-deirantes. Charter operations continue with a fleet of 2 Cessna 206s, 2 C-402Bs, 1 C-402C, and 1 C-414A.
Two more EMB-110s are acquired in 1996-2000. In 1997, several company aircraft are caught in the flooding that occurs in the province.
SKYWAY: United States (1931-1932). Skyway is established at Wichita, Kansas, in the early spring of 1931 to offer scheduled, multistop passenger service to Kansas City and Blackwell, Oklahoma. The Ford 4-AT-17 is acquired on April 28 and employed to inaugurate flights in November.
Without a mail contract, insufficient passenger traffic is generated and when the trimotor is destroyed in a Blackwell hangar fire on March 15, 1932, the company is forced out of business.
SKYWAY AIRLINES (1): United States (1960-1980). Early in 1960, Skyway Aviation, Inc., the FBO at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, establishes a scheduled air taxi division and applies for certification, which is duly granted by the FAA on March 18. Employing a Lockheed Model 10A, a Beech 18, and a Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six, semi-scheduled passenger and cargo flights to St. Louis via Rolla are maintained until 1968.
Regularly scheduled flights begin in 1969 as Douglas DC-3 roundtrips to Chicago commence. Between 1970 and 1980, the company enlarges its fleet by the addition of Beech B-80 Queenaires and undertakes regular frequencies to Lake of the Ozarks, Kansas City, and Columbia. Operations cease in April of the latter year.
SKYWAY AIRLINES (2): 4792 South Howell Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53207, United States; Phone (414) 747-4750; Fax (414) 769-4272; Http://www. midwestexpress. com/company/aboutsk. html ; Code YX; Year Founded 1989. Skyway Airlines is formed at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in early spring 1989 as a subsidiary of Farmington, New Mexico-based Mesa Airlines, which signs an agreement with Midwest Express Airlines to operate a code-sharing “Midwest Express Connection” service, beginning with four Beech 1900s. Scheduled services to 17 surrounding communities in 4 Midwestern states commence on April 17. Thereafter, traffic and financial results are consolidated with those of Mesa Airlines, which reports that its new subsidiary’s first eight months are profitable.
The carrier adds five cities to its route network in 1990, along with two Beech 1900Cs. Daily nonstop Milwaukee to Grand Rapids and Muskegon flights are added in August 1991. Simultaneously, twice-daily Beech 1900C flights are started from Milwaukee to Louisville, along with two daily directs from Milwaukee to Oshkosh. A fourth daily nonstop is launched from Milwaukee to Rockford.
Operations continue apace in 1992 and in 1993 Chairman Larry Risley and President Rolly Bergeson oversee a workforce of 150 and operate a fleet of 12 Beech 1900Cs. Destinations now served include the Wisconsin cities of Appleton, Bloomington, Cedar Rapids, Chicago (MDW), Des Moines, Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Kalamazoo, La Crosse, Lansing, Louisville, Madison, Milwaukee, Muskegon, Omaha, Saginaw/Bay City, Traverse City, and Wausau, as well as Rochester, New York. A net $5.18-million profit is reported for the year.
When the “Midwest Express Connection” contract ends in 1994, Mesa Airlines withdraws this service, which is taken over by the national-sized carrier, and operated by it through its owned subsidiary, Astral Aviation, which in turn operates Skyway. Thirteen Beech 1900C/Ds maintain the previous routes.
On May 15, the company begins weekday nonstop roundtrips from Champagne/Urbana, Illinois, to Peoria and Detroit and one-stops from Champagne/Urbana to Rockford.
Enplanements for the year total 204,865 and revenues jump 61.7% to $38.63 million. Net gain falls all the way down to $546,000.
Having joined the company eight years earlier, Brenda Skelton is named senior vice president-marketing and customer services in February 1995. Former Continental Airlines official Dennis J. Crabtree becomes senior vice president-operations in September.
The company’s 15 aircraft transport a total of 308,942 passengers, a 44% increase.
Airline employment stands at 238 in 1996 as 2 more Beech 1900Ds are added. Twice-daily weekday roundtrips commence on May 1 between Milwaukee and Nashville. Simultaneously, thrice-daily weekday roundtrips are introduced between Nashville and Grand Rapids, Michigan, with twice-daily weekday roundtrips from the Nashville to Dayton. Controller Robert S. Bahlman is named vice president/chief financial officer in December.
Customer bookings for the year move ahead by 4.8% to 323,857.
Destinations visited in early 1997 include Appleton, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago (MDW), Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas (DFW), Dayton, Denver, Des Moines, Flint, Grand Rapids, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Kansas City, La Crosse, Lansing, Los Angeles, Madison, Milwaukee, Muskegon, Nashville, New York (LGA), Newark (EWR), Orlando, St. Louis, San Francisco, South Bend, Toronto, Washington, D. C. (DCA), and Wausau.
DHL Worldwide Express Director of Flight Operations David C. Reeve is named president/CEO of Astral Aviation, the airline’s parent, on March 1. Six-times-daily nonstop Beech 1900 return flights commence on June 1 between Milwaukee and Marquette, Michigan.
On October 1, the carrier introduces six-times-a-day Beech 1900D nonstop roundtrips between Milwaukee and Escanaba, Michigan, and four-times-a-day nonstop roundtrips between Escanaba and Chicago (MDW).
Local chapter members of ALPA conduct informational picketing at Milwaukee on October 17 and October 20.
On November 19, the NMB declares an impasse in the two-year-old labor talks between Skyway pilots and their management. A mandatory 30-day cooling off period, after which both sides are free to engage in “self-help” measures, goes into effect.
On December 2, pilots vote that unless a tentative agreement is reached with management by December 20, their form of “self-help” will be a strike and work stoppage.
Passenger boardings during the 12 months fall 3.7% to 311,789.
After two years of negotiations between the carrier and the local ALPA chapter, company pilots strike in January 1998. After less than an hour, the flyers have a new four-year contract, which requires ratification by the 135 line pilots.
In February, 99% of the company’s pilots vote to ratify the agreement with Skyway.
Having not performed to company expectations, the new service to Chicago (MDW) is withdrawn on March 31. The aircraft that are freed up are employed on April 20 to inaugurate six-times-weekday roundtrips between Milwaukee and Traverse City, Michigan.
Flight 1844, a Beech 1900D, blows all of its main landing gear tires upon landing at Nashville on July 7.
Midwest Express Holdings Chairman Timothy E. Hoeksema announces on July 8 that it will become U. S. launch customer for the Fairchild Dornier 328JET, a new regional jet configuration of the aircraft manufacturer’s 328 turboprop. Five firm orders are placed for the aircraft, with an option to purchase 10 more; the first machines are scheduled to be delivered to Skyway beginning in March.
Customer bookings accelerate 14% to 355,376.
By the beginning of 1999, the workforce has been increased by 16.2% to 322.
While en route from Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Milwaukee on February 8, a Beech 1900D with 2 crew and 12 passengers encounters a flock of Canadian geese while flying in broken clouds. One of the birds smashes into the plane’s right engine, which must subsequently be shut down. Although an emergency is declared, the turboprop is able to make a safe landing at its destination, with no injuries reported.
Together with its Midwest Express parent, Skyway, on April 29, introduces electronic ticketing to those travel agencies across the U. S. that are equipped with the Amadeus reservations system
The number of weekday “Midwest Express Connection” frequencies from Milwaukee and Wausau/Stevens Point, Wisconsin, is increased from 8 to 12on May 10.
The first two 328JETs are delivered to launch customer Skyway on August 9. Meanwhile, pilot training for the new regional jets continues at Fairchild headquarters at San Antonio, Texas. Skyway introduces 328JET service on November 1, providing four-times-a-day return flights over a new route from Milwaukee to Pittsburgh. The new regional jets also enter service in four existing markets visited from Milwaukee: Indianapolis in late October, Green Bay and Stevens Point in mid-November, and Nashville in late November.
In December, new six-times-weekday Beech 1900D roundtrips are introduced between Milwaukee and Cedar Rapids; this is the only nonstop service available between the two points.
Passenger boardings climb 8.4% to 385,000. Revenues advance 8.2% to $44.88 million, while expenses are up 12.5% to $42.98 million. A $1.9-million operating profit is posted.
A total of 332 workers are employed at the beginning of 2000.
Twice-weekday Beech 1900D return service is inaugurated on March 13 between Milwaukee and Fort Wayne, Indiana.
On April 2, thrice-daily Beech 1900D roundtrips are launched from Milwaukee to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Fifteen days later, twice-daily 328JET return flights (one not flown on Saturday and the other on Sunday) begin from Grand Rapids to Washington, D. C. (DCA).
Orders are placed on May 2 for five additional 328JETs and five 428JETs, with no deliveries expected before 2001.
The existing daily turboprop service between Des Moines and Milwaukee is upgraded on June 15 when it is taken over by a Midwest Express Airlines DC-9. Plans call for one of the new 328JETs to be placed on the route, beginning in late summer.
Daily roundtrips between Milwaukee and Little Rock commence on October 29. The routes from Milwaukee to Fort Wayne and Grand Rapids to Toronto are closed on November 30.
Customer bookings during these 12 months jump 21.1% to 445,842.
SKYWAY COMMUTER: United States (1983-1985). The former Air Florida commuter Skyways of Ocala is renamed in 1983. With 3 Beech 99s and 1 Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain, scheduled services are maintained for two years linking the company’s Ocala base with Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Pensacola, Tallahassee, and West Palm Beach. En-planements for the year total 51,000.
Unable to recover from the Air Florida collapse, the airline has a bad 1984. The situation does not improve in 1985 and in November, the airline ceases operations after merger negotiations with Air New Orleans fail. No traffic or financial figures are released during the two-year slide to extinction.
SKYWAYS: United States (1972-1985). The Fayetteville, Arkansas-based commuter airline Scheduled Skyways is reformed following its purchase by a group of investors on October 1, 1972, and is renamed Skyways, although the Scheduled Skyways moniker will continue to be employed by many in the aviation press. With a fleet comprising 1 Piper PA-31 Navajo Chieftain and 2 Beech 99s, President Raymond A. Young III’s company maintains services to Little Rock, Harrison, Hot Springs, Jonesboro, and Texarkana.
In mid-decade, services are inaugurated to Dallas, Kansas City, Tulsa, St. Louis, and Memphis. A total of 63,517 passengers are boarded in 1977.
Following passage of the Airline Deregulation Act in 1978, the company begins a rapid expansion program. Enplanements rise 13.7% to 72,197.
The workforce is increased a whopping 94.1% in 1979 to 165 and the fleet is increased to include 5 Swearingen Metro IIs, 3 Beech 99s, and 1 Piper PA-31-310 Navajo.
Passenger boardings skyrocket 59.8% to 115,411.
The employee population rises 12.9% in 1980 to 175. Two additional Metro IIs are acquired and services are inaugurated to Springfield, Nashville, Fort Smith, Knoxville, Birmingham, and El Dorado.
Bookings climb 16.8% to 134,758 and operating income skyrockets 75.4% to $8.07 million.
Services are initiated in 1981 to Mobile, Pensacola, Jackson, and Oklahoma City. More Metro IIs join the seven already on hand and orders are placed for six Avions de Transport Regional ATR42s.
Bookings at new Chairman/CEO Robert L. Shults’ carrier rise 26.4% to 170,408. Freight accelerates 65.9% to 218,682 pounds.
Traffic growth continues in 1982 with 196,144 customers enplaned, a 15.1% increase. Freight increases a spectacular 120.8% to 482,875 pounds.
The payroll is increased by 15.7% in 1983 to 325 and the fleet now comprises 14 Metroliners.
While taxiing on the ground at Hot Springs, Arkansas, on August 27, a Swearingen Metro II with two crew and two passengers suddenly catches fire; although all four persons are safely evacuated, the plane is burned out.
The Arkansas traveler rises to the ranks of the nation’s large region-als at year’s end and records a 13.4% acceleration in boardings to 222,330; cargo rises 2.4% to 495,000 pounds.
The unbroken string of successes continues for the privately held carrier in 1984 as 225,196 passengers are transported, a 1.3% increase. A Nord 262 is acquired. Buoyed by its achievements in deregulated airspace, the company extends frequencies to 24 additional cities in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.
Despite its traffic growth, Skyways has had financial difficulties for several years and has struggled with the costs of its expansion in an era of rough competition. For the six months ending June 30, the airline takes a $319,000 net loss on revenues of $8.9 million. On September 24, an agreement is reached whereby Skyways will become a wholly owned subsidiary of its northern neighbor, Air Midwest. To facilitate the union, Air Midwest issues one common share of its stock in exchange for each 2.75 held in Skyways.
Customer bookings inch upward 1.3% to 225,196, but freight is down by 12.9% to 431,000 pounds.
The merger of the two companies is completed on January 17, 1985 and thereafter they briefly operate as separate entities while integrating. On June 3, the new subsidiary, which has flown as Air Midwest Skyways, is entirely absorbed by its parent. The last independent flight is completed on June 25.
SKYWAYS, LTD.: United Kingdom (1946-1964). Originally organized in 1929 to offer sight-seeing flights, Skyways, Ltd., is reorganized for commercial services on March 12, 1946, by Brig. Gen. A. C. Critch-ley, Sir Alan Cobham, and British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) Capt. R. J. Ashley. Capitalized at ?1,000 per share, the carrier employs Ashley as managing director. A fleet of 2 Avro Yorks, 2 Avro Lancastrians (Sky Diplomat and Sky Lane), and a DH-89A (Sky Trail), is assembled, a contract is negotiated with the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, and revenue flight services commence on May 14 with a York flying Manston-Basra via Malta and Cairo.
On May 31, inclusive-tour flights on behalf of Sir Henry Lunn, Ltd. begin to Zurich. Two Douglas DC-3s, the Sky Hawk and Sky Ward, are added in August, followed by a third, the Sky Liner, in September and a de Havilland DH 104 Dove I, the Sky Maid, in October. In November, the government airfield at Dunsfold is purchased and converted into the company’s main base.
By November 30, a total of 7,309 passengers and 140 tons of freight have been flown 741,381 miles.
Two new Lancastrians are purchased on November 1; one is named Sky Ambassador, but the other Lancastrian is lost in a Dunsfold hanger fire on December 8 before it can be named. Another Lancastrian is bought in early December and christened Sky Chieftain and later in the month, Cobham resigns from the board of directors to be replaced by Member of Parliament Group Capt. C. A. B. Wilcock.
Airline employment is increased to 1,000 in 1947.
The Avro 691 Lancastrian 1 freighter Sky Diplomat with four crew crashes at the H3 landing ground in Iraq on May 11; there are no survivors. With 7 crew and 17 passengers, the Avro 685 York I Sky Consul, acquired in February, is involved in a landing accident at London (LHR) on July 25; although the aircraft must be written off, there are no fatalities.
Charter flights are launched to a variety of new destinations, including Palestine, Hong Kong, China, the Canary Islands, Thailand, Kuwait, Dar es Salaam, Greece, Italy, and Indochina. Swiss charter flights for Sir Henry Lunn, Ltd., continue during the summer.
The Avro 691 Lancastrian 3 freighter Sky Path with three crew aboard fails its takeoff from Nutts Corner, Belfast, Ulster, on October 3; although the aircraft must be written off after the accident, there are no fatalities.
The fleet is increased by the addition of six more Lancastrians (Sky Scout, Sky Consort, Sky Ruler, Sky Minister, Sky Envoy, Sky Trainer), a Lockheed 12A, and four DC-4s (converted military C-54s) from KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines, N. V.), christened Sky Alliance, Sky Champion, Sky Freedom, and Sky Wisdom. At year’s end, the Drayton Group purchases a significant holding.
Weekly Nairobi-Mauritius Lancastrian service begins in January 1948. Sir Henry Lunn, Ltd. continues to employ company aircraft to fly inclusive tours from London (Northolt) to Geneva. An interest is taken in Croydon-based Morton Air Services, Ltd. On May 14, the Dove I Sky Muse, is lost in a Mount Coron crash. Three of the ex-KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines, N. V.) DC-4s enter service in the spring, followed by the fourth in September, and are employed to provide British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) replacement flights to Bahrain and Abadan.
The Lancastrians Sky Consort, Sky Envoy, Sky Ruler, Sky Minister, Sky Trainer, and Sky Envoy are, like the DH-89A Sky Trail and the DC-3 Sky Liner, sold during the summer. Another York I is purchased in October. On November 16, three Avro Yorks begin participation in the Berlin Airlift, flying from Wunsdorf. On December 16, a company York makes the 5,000th airlift landing by a civilian aircraft. The three-ship DC-3 fleet of Air Contractors, Ltd. is acquired in December; these are christened Sky Dispatch, Sky Lancer, and Sky Warrior.
A total of 9,622 passengers are flown on the year.
On January 2, 1949, four Avro Lancastrian tankers are assigned to the Berlin Airlift.
The C-54A Sky Wisdom with 9 crew and 44 passengers is lost while on initial approach to Castle Benito Airfield, Libya, on February 4 (one dead). While on approach to Gatow Airport in Berlin on March 15, the Avro 685 York I Skyway with three crew, crashes; there are no survivors.
Two Lancastrians, the Sky Consort and Sky Kingdom, are purchased in April. Service in the Berlin Airlift continues, but not without loss.
The Avro 685 York C.1 Sky Dominion, with three crew, is lost at Neustadt, Germany, on June 19; although the plane must be written off, there are no fatalities. The Avro 691 Lancastrian 4 Sky Scout with four crew, is damaged beyond repair while landing at Berlin’s Gatow Airport on June 26.
During the last eight months of the commercial phase of the Allied operation, Skyways, Ltd.’s Lancastrians mount 1,655 sorties and the Yorks 1,081; together, the planes fly a total of 23,488 tons of fuel and supplies into West Berlin.
Meanwhile, during the year, charters are flown to Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, Mozambique, Lourenco Marques, Durban, and the Far East. The Mauritius route is closed, but two DH-104s are stationed in India. Late in the year, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) assumes responsibility for those routes it had contracted out to Skyways, Ltd. earlier. As a result of this move and the end of the Berlin Airlift, the independent is forced to lay off some 400 employees and retire its Lancastrians. Enplanements for the year are 13,786.
In February 1950, the carrier’s three DC-4s are purchased by Air France. The Morton Air Service, Ltd. interest is sold. On March 1, the company is liquidated by its owners and all of the Lancastrians, Yorks, and most lightplanes are sold in April. Capitalized at ?157,500, a new Skyways, Ltd. is registered on March 31 to assume the business of the old. With six DC-3s and the board of directors carried over, revenue flight operations are resumed from London to Nairobi on May 14. Business remains slow, and by year’s end the fleet consists of just 2 Douglas transports.
These are operated during 1951 exclusively in Kuwait on behalf of the Kuwait Oil Company. In June, the two DC-3s in Kuwait are sold and the company, although remaining in existence, ceases flying after return of a leased Crewsair, Ltd. DC-3 in December.
In March 1952, Skyways is purchased for some ?157,000 by the Lancashire Aircraft Corporation, Ltd., with the parent company being renamed Lancashire Aircraft Corporation and Skyways, Ltd. LAC & S now transfers to its new subsidiary its own fleet of 20 Avro Yorks and 3 ex-military Handley Page Halifaxes, concentrating on single - and twin-engine operations. Skyways, Ltd. now relocates its base of operations to Bovington Airport. In pre-merger Skyways, Ltd. livery, the Yorks resume the Ministry of Defence troop-carrying contracts of Lancashire Aircraft Corporation, Ltd., with the first plane departing for the Caribbean on June 2.
In July and August, other Yorks fly charters from England to Helsinki for the Olympic Games. Among the various new charter destinations now added are Stockholm, Amsterdam, Bangkok, Hamburg, Cairo, and Dublin. In October, operations are transferred from Bovingdon to London (STN).
On November 25, Eagle Aviation, Ltd.’s five Yorks are purchased for ?160,000, along with an Air Ministry trooping contract to Rhodesia for air cadets, making Skyways, Ltd. the world’s largest operator of the type. On December 12, the Halifax Air Voyager is lost in a Blackpool crash; the Halifax, Air Regent, is now withdrawn.
A total of 40,000 troops are carried on the year.
On February 3, 1953, a York is lost over the Atlantic while en route to Gander (39 dead). During the same month, the Air Ministry’s Rhodesian contract is cancelled in the face of training cutbacks. In April, the final Halifax, Air Trader, is withdrawn and the carrier’s Yorks make 11 troop-carrying flights to Nairobi as British troops are sent in to deal with terrorists.
Two more Yorks are added to the fleet in July. Every-tow-weeks, low-fare Colonial Coach or “Crusader” services from the U. K. to Cyprus via Malta commence on November 11.
Enplanements during the 12 months are 71,736.
The U. K.-Nicosia “Crusader” frequency is increased to weekly in 1954. An Avro 685 York C.1 with three crew is lost at Kyritz, Germany, on June 26; there are no survivors.
In March 1955, the Bibby Line purchases control of Skyways, Ltd. and capitalization is increased to ?315,000. The former British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) Handley Page HP-81 Hermes 4s Hanno, Heracles, Hector, Herodotus, Hesperides, Hestia, Hera, Helios, and Honor are acquired and begin flying inclusive-tour commercial charters. On June 10, the Honor is leased to Middle East Airlines, S. A.L. (1). In late summer, the subsidiary Skyways Coach-Air, Ltd. is formed.
Two DC-3s are transferred from Lancashire Air Corporation, Ltd.
And employed to launch, in association with Skyways Coach-Air Ltd. but still in LAC colors, Coach-Air London-Paris proving flights on September 22. Following proving flights that continue until September 24, the subsidiary’s two DC-3s, piloted by Capts. J. S. Morgan and E. R. Skemp, introduce the scheduled Coach-Air concept on September 30 over a route London and Lympne to Beauvais, Tille, and Paris.
Only the Limpne-Beauvais and Tille segment is flown, the remaining portions of the journey being traversed by motor bus. By December, the HP-81s have largely replaced the Yorks on MOD “trooping” charters.
Enplanements for the year total 35,574.
A bomb explodes in the forward cargo compartment and destroys a Hermes 4 at Nicosia, Cyprus, on March 4, 1956. There are no injuries reported from the incident.
Between November 16 and December 14, DC-3s make four roundtrips U. K.-Vienna, lifting out Hungarian refugees. In December, the Lancashire Aircraft Corporation, Ltd. is sold to Britavia Group, but Skyways, Ltd. is not a part of the purchase.
Avro Yorks commence London-Singapore freight service on behalf of British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) in early 1957. London-Vichy Coach-Air frequency is inaugurated on June 28, the Lympne-Vichy segment being flown. When the last two Avro Yorks are withdrawn from British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) service on November 22, they are immediately purchased by Skyways, Ltd.
On April 1, 1958, the Hermes 4 Hera, with three crew and undergoing tests, crashes at Meesden Green near London (STN); there are no survivors.
After a decade of service as a flying test bed for the Armstrong-Sid-deley Motors, Ltd. Mamba turboprop engine, a C-47, reconverted to civil DC-3 status with its original Twin Wasp radials reinstalled, is purchased on June 4. Promoted by Eric Rylands, Skyways Holding Co., Ltd. is formed and in November, purchases 80% of the stock of Bahama Airways, Ltd. from BOAC Associated Companies. Bahama Airways, Ltd. is renamed Skyways (Bahamas), Ltd. The Honor, leased to MEA three years earlier, is withdrawn in December and scrapped.
Although the sale does not take effect until April 1, 1959, Skyways (Bahamas), Ltd., employing Hermes 4s, launches service Nassau-Miami, West Palm Beach, and Fort Lauderdale in late winter. The American CAB raises questions concerning traffic rights and the HP-81s prove more and more unsuitable to their routes as the year wears on. In May, a letter of intent is signed with Avro for the purchase of three of its new turboprop-powered Model 748s.
Chartered Lockheed L-749As replaces the Hermes 4s as of July 25 on the parent’s London-Singapore all-cargo service, now being flown under contract to British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). The Hermes 4 Horatius, Herodotus, and Hesperides are scrapped at year’s end.
The Hermes 4 Hector is leased to Bahamas Airways, Ltd. for a year in January 1960. Later increased to twice weekly, weekly L-749A contract flights are inaugurated on April 26, London-Malta and Tunis on behalf of British European Airways Corporation (BEA), replacing the long-haul Singapore service provided to British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC).
The HP-81 Heracles is damaged beyond repair in a landing at London (LHR) on March 8. Passenger traffic on the Nassau-Florida routs having eroded during the year, BOAC Associated Companies, in December, elects to repossess its former Bahama Airways, Ltd. subsidiary, thereby forcing Skyways (Bahamas) Ltd., to cease trading.
The fleet in 1961 includes 4 L-749As, 5 Hermes 4s, 7 Avro Yorks, 4 DC-3s, and 1 DH-89A; the Hermes 4s are sold to Air Safaris, Ltd. in March. In September, Eric Rylands purchases the Bibby Line’s shares and organizes the holding company Eric Rylands, Ltd. to control Skyways, Ltd. and Skyways Coach-Air, Ltd.
The British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) Far Eastern freight contract ends on March 31, 1962 and one L-749A is returned to the flag carrier. Having received its first aircraft the previous month, Skyways Coach-Air, Ltd. on April 17 becomes the first U. K. operator of the Avro 748, placing it into service on cross-Channel flights between Lympne and Beauvais. On September 1, Skyways is purchased by Eu-ravia, Ltd., but is allowed to continue certain charter operations under its presale identity; however, the subsidiary Skyways Coach-Air, Ltd. is not part of the acquisition.
In its last complete year of operations, Skyways, Ltd. in 1963 transports a total of 12,660 passengers and 80 tons of freight. All Skyways scheduled and charter work are assumed by Euravia, Ltd. in April 1964. The last York is retired on October 8.
SKYWAYS (EAST AFRICA), LTD.: Kenya (1948-1951). SEA is established at Nairobi at the beginning of 1948 and employing a Douglas C-47A, inaugurates scheduled flights to Mauritius via Dar es Salaam and Tananarive on January 13. Flights continue until 1951.
World History
