Originally Posted by
lotus1
The last time I saw the BMA 707 was at Ibiza in 82 This was a rare sight had hardly seen this due to being chartered out to other operators.Did see the f100 at Manston doing crew training flights but it was quite nostalgia the other day on tv they are repeating Bergerac what was on there a BMA viscount jersey would not be the same with out this.
From April 1982 to 1985 the 3 BMA 707-320C's which had just been all newly refitted and kitted out with 211 new seats, new galleys, new wide look cabins and overhead bins, and a new bigger 757 type aft exit were contracted to fly IT package holiday flights on behalf of various tour operators from BHX EMA and MAN.
They were also thought to be available as a stopgap should BMA get awarded their long fought, and sought for licences to operate scheduled flights to the USA from LHR - although Bishop was looking at DC-8 Super 63's for this as well.
As we know it would be some years before those routes came to some fruition (albeit only then from MAN and not LHR) and the fuel hungry 707's were all sold in 1985.
We flew them intensively on Summer Med and Canary Islands IT package holiday flights, plus ABC type charters to the USA Canada and the Caribbean. (plus ad-hoc and ACMI as well - El Al went on strike and we flew for them from LHR and CDG to TLV and JFK for the strike period)
Summer IT routes were PMI IBZ MAH AGP ALC GRO FAO TFS LPA PSA MLA
LAX JFK YVR YYZ were from flown LGW and MAN
In winter they went off on weekend Ski flights GVA MUC SZG TRN MXP
Sometimes it was possible to see all 3 707's on the ground together at PMI TFS and AGP