View Full Version : Air Kruise
black sapper
3rd Jun 2010, 00:31
I've just been reading an old 50s Flight article about Air Kruise - at that time they had just announced an order for 'no less than six HP Heralds', to be added to a fleet of DC-3s and Bristol Freighters. Things were obviously going well for them.
There doesn't seem to be a great deal of info around about Air Kruise, but I believe they were closely aligned (owned?) by Silver City.
I'm curious about about their demise - I know the Heralds were never delivered, but not much more.
Does anyone have any idea about what went wrong?
PaperTiger
3rd Jun 2010, 04:11
air kruise | silver city | inclusive tour | 1955 | 1513 | Flight Archive (http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1955/1955%20-%201513.html) (.pdf)
I think Air Kruise was taken into the British Aviation Services group which did include Silver City amongst others....
tornadoken
3rd Jun 2010, 09:14
Source for all things UK airline post-War is G.Halford-MacLeod,Britain's Airlines, Tempus,2007 (2 Vols).. Founded (1948?) by W/C Kennard, Lympne-France. By 1954 owned by Britavia (Br. Air Services); Daks and Wayfarers (pax T.170); absorbed into Silver City 1958.
Wing Commander H.C.Kennard managing director of Air Kruise(Kent) Ltd took delivery of a Miles Messenger 2A G-AHZS in August 1946 at Lympne. This company operated a scheduled air service to Le Touquet as Trans Channel Air Services Ltd until they moved to Ramsgate in 1953. Dragon Rapide G-AEWL "Nicole" 13.4.50 to 14.12.55 and G-AESR 18.3.53 to 14.12.55. Trans Channel also used Rapides G-AEMH,KJZ and KRN. Air Kruise operated G-ALWK also. There is a picture of DC-3 G-ANLF in Air Kruise markings on the web just Google "Air Kruise". Some information on Air Kruise at Ramsgate here Ramsgate Municipal Airport (http://www.kenthistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=1616.0)
Proplinerman
4th Jun 2010, 18:25
And they operated the very first IT flight out of Manchester on 29th May 1955, G-AMYV, to Ostend, then on for the passengers by coach. This according to Alan Scholefield's excellent book "Manchester Airport," Sutton Publishing, 1998.
black sapper
5th Jun 2010, 07:37
Once again, thanks to everyone for the replies.
What most interested me was that order for Heralds - the future must have been looking fairly bright for them. Seems the consolidation that took place at that time saw the end of their own ambitions.
It would have been nice to have seen a small independent with a fleet of Heralds in their colours though.