Originally Posted by
WHBM
You pretty much have it. Gerona was only built once tourism started to get going there, at the Spanish beaches nearest to the border. Barcelona was a way beyond, the airport is the wrong side of the city, and there were no motorways. Also in Spain Iberia had the ground handling monopoly for a long time (applied to Gerona too), so was more expensive to use compared to Perpignan. Some even cheaper holidays flew from Southend to Ostend, thence coach down to Spain - there was a considerable coach supply business in Ostend.
I think the very first jet holiday charter was for Harry Chandler's Travel Club from Upminster, on a BUA One-Eleven from Gatwick to Corsica. April 1965 or thereabouts, on a brand-new aircraft. The One-Eleven deliveries had been delayed (inevitably), so likely the first departures of the jet season in the brochure had to be done on Viscounts.
Hi there - Yes Harry Chandler's
Travel Club Upminster that flew the FIRST jet charters for package holidays, but he used Air France Caravelles from London Airport to Corsica.
The aircraft had weekend downtime so he approached AF and he got the contract. 1962 rings a bell>?
I think he also used them for PGP (for Costa Brava, and for Nice for the French Riviera)
Peter Bath (Palmair) was the first to use BUA's new 1-11's in 1965 from Bournemouth to Palma.
Re - Air Ferry and Lyons Tours of Colne - sadly Lyons Tours suffered another air crash in 1963 - again in the Pyrenees on APP to PGP.
40 killed - the flight was from LGW on a Viking of Airnautic.
The Viking crashed into the north face of the Pic de la Roquette in the Pyrenees.
1963 crash
In 1961 G-AMSW DC-3 of Derby Airways (BMA) flying from LGW to PGP also crashed into Mont Canigou, 34 killed.
The aircraft was coming from Gatwick, and after reporting over Toulouse at about 0030 hours GMT it headed directly for Perpignan, France, at flight level 075. It was expected over the aerodrome at about 0112, and it was seen shortly before 0100 by various witnesses in the Prades area, during intermittent rain and winds of variable force. It struck the mountain side in level flight in the Canigou Massif at about 0100 hours. The wreckage, located at an elevation of 2200m at 1350 hours on the same day by a Search and Rescue Constellation, was destroyed by the impact and by fire. There were no survivors. Three crew and 31 passengers were aboard the flight.
Probable cause: The accident was attributed to a navigational error, the origin of which it was not possible to determine for lack of sufficient evidence.
It was no holiday - Lyons Tours obituary of the founder
An old advert - but
Heathrow is mentioned.....
