Originally Posted by
Sotonsean
In 1958 Freddie Laker sold Aviation Traders ATL and Air Charter to Airwork Services. The deal became affective in January 1959 when both companies joined the Airwork group.
In 1960 the Airwork group merged with Hunting-Clan to form BUA British United Airways.
By the time Airwork merged with Hunting-Clan "which was owned by the Cayzer family" in July 1960 the former air transport subsidiaries included Channel Air Bridge, Morton Air Services and Transair.
In 1962 British United Airways purchased Jersey Airlines after BEA sold its 25% minority holding. Jersey Airways became part of the British United Airways group of companies. In August 1963, Jersey Airlines changed it's name to British United (CI) Airways.
Following the BUA groups 1967/68 reorganisation, BUA (CI) was absorbed into British United Island Airways in November 1968. British United Island Airways was a regional sister airline of British United Airways. In 1970 after British and Commonwealth sold British United Airways to Caledonian Airways to form British Caledonian Airways B&C retained British United Island Airways and it was renamed in 1970 to British Island Airways BIA.
In 1980 British Island Airways merged with Air Anglia to form Air UK. The rest of which has already been discussed in detail.
Servisair which I purposely omitted because we were discussing the airline's of the B&C group.
Although I am very familiar with Servisair I'm not in a position to give a detailed account of the companies history but I'm aware of the fact that the B&C group were involved with the company at some point during it's existence.
All that I do know that it was formed in 1952 and it was at one time the United Kingdom's largest ground handler and was to be seen at the majority of the UK's airport's. Servisair was acquired and merged into Swissport along with Aviator Airport Alliance in 2014.
Well put it this way, wherever Air UK operated if there was a Servisair present then they had the handling contract, it did lead to the occasional problem whereas Servisair might have considered the aircraft to be there own and making unauthorised operation decisions, can't name names but one Servisair on top of a hill in Yorkshire could be a problem.
And at STN it was Aviation Traders doing Air UK's line maintenance, in the good old days of STN with just a few Air UK Sheds, Servisair and Aviation Traders the parties would be good fun, it was like we were all part of the same family.