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Old 21st Aug 2022, 08:06
  #28 (permalink)  
rog747
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: UK
Age: 66
Posts: 801
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LTN runway

Originally Posted by Mooncrest
WHBM Not sure how a DC-10 coped with the relatively short runway at Luton but I guess the Court TriStars managed all right.
The OU Tri-Star's seemed to of course, 1973 and 1974,
I think they even did St Lucia/Antigua out of Luton, tech stop was Azores or Bangor/Gander iirc?
It's amazing that the Tristar and DC-10 were seen very early on at tiny places like RHO-Maritsa, Gerona, Corfu, Reus and Ibiza amongst others...
There was even a Nightclub under the final approach path at Ibiza called The DC-10. (I know - I went a few times lol)

Also re WHBM's post - I vaguely recall a Lord Brothers summer brochure, around 1970, which had a holiday series to Albania, with a Laker One-Eleven, flying just once a fortnight from Gatwick to Tirana. This was at a time when Albania was generally considered completely isolated and off limits to any travel, which the brochure page made euphemistic reference to, and Tirana certainly had no scheduled services from the West. Given the long lead times for printing the brochures, I've sometimes wondered if the series in fact ever got started. It would have been a novel Laker destination.

I don't recall it ever started but it may have done -

Tour Operators from the 1960's were always looking at more 'exotic and cheaper' places to fly to for package holidays, Bulgaria (Varna and Bourgas flights) and Romania (Constanta flights) to name a couple, plus Thomsons put Algiers in a 1970's main summer brochure (Using BY 737's) Algiers of course, was once stunning, but it's instability began and I'm not sure if the series ever started. Likewise they tried also Dakar in the early 1990's - that too was doomed to start.

Laker and Lord Bros seemed to stay 'safe' and stick to the main hot spots.
I do not think that Laker (unlike Clarksons and Thomsons) entered into the building of any Holiday
Hotels abroad.

I do recall that in the mid 1960's both Tunis and Djerba flights appeared - very exotic and British Eagle had scheduled flights there to both with the BAC 1-11.
Other 1-11 airlines also went there BUA Autair and BMA.

Not until Faro Airport had opened, so the Estoril coast (flying to Lisbon) was very popular and also rather upmarket and thus the package holidays were expensive, same as the Canaries, Rhodes and Cyprus.
Tourism in the Algarve area really began to take off and The Travel Club Upminster was pivotal in pioneering UK charter flights to the new airport at Faro.
The airport virtually became an overnight success and was conveniently placed to the many resorts and beaches, such as Vilamoura, Albufeira, Vale del Lobo and Praia da Luz.
The town of Lagos is also known for its charming beach and historical appeal.

Menorca also got a new airport for summer 1969 when all passenger services were transferred from the old neighbouring San Luis Airport.
Previously I gather both the Bristol Britannia and Vanguards operated in to the old airport but not jets.
The beginnings of Menorca aerodrome were marked by the Spanish Civil War and the need for a military airfield on the island. In the summer of 1936, work began on levelling the airfield. At the end of the conflict in 1939, the usable area of the runway was 850 metres.
The airfield was used sporadically by aeroplanes diverting from the Son San Juan airfield in Mallorca when the Ministry of Aviation agreed to open from 1949 the San Luis Airport to civil air traffic, full domestic traffic and international tourist traffic.
The inaugural flight, by Aviaco flying from Barcelona, took place in August of the same year, establishing the Barcelona-Mahon route and using Bristol 170 aircraft during the first few years. In 1959 and 1961 the runway was extended twice.
The entry into service of Aviaco DC-4s made further extension works necessary.
In September 1965 the name of the airport was officially changed from San Luis to Mahon Airport.
With the increase in tourist traffic and charter flights, as well as the fact that the new jet aircraft required longer runways, the need to build a new airport for the island was soon taken into consideration and in 1967 construction of a new airport was underway built to serve mid-size jet aircraft.
1970 saw Minorca holidays included in many of the big Tour Companies Summer Brochures with new build hotels shown as the infamous ''Artists impressions''
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