Charter Dash 7 LCY-CMF and to Paros PAS
I had forgotten about the EXT and LCY - CMF Dash 7 charter Ski flights.
Tyrolean Airways had lead the way with Dash 7 Ski flight Ops to that airport, plus they also flew to the tiny mountain top airport of Courchevel where the airfield has a very short runway of only 537 metres with a gradient of 18.6%. There is no go-around procedure for landings at Courchevel due to the surrounding mountainous terrain.
Tyrolean also flew in the summer to the tiny runway (800m) at PAS Paros National Airport, and also to Naxos Airport, in the Greek Islands, more of that later...
Brymon Airways once it was rumoured flew a test flight with their new 50 seater Dash 7 over to St. Marys ISC (still a grass runway back then) but apparently the idea was quickly shelved and some new underwear ordered for the flight crew. The subsequent test flights in 1982 to Heron Quay, were a breeze it seems.
Of course today, with the extended hard runway at ISC the 50 seat Dash 7 would be an ideal people mover for the extremely busy route for holiday makers to the islands which is served by a fleet of Twin Otters still to this day (some are ex Brymon such as G-BIHO)
More on Paros -
Back in 1986 I was General Manager for a few years of the specialist Greek Tour Operator Kosmar Villa Holidays in Tottenham Court Rd.
We sold Package Holidays to the Saronic and Cycladic Islands including Paros, Naxos and Mykonos which entailed taking our own Friday night flight from LGW at 21:35, a KT Tristar whole charter to ATH Hellinikon airport, then a coach transfer down to the Port at Piraeus in time for the 7am Ferries, which was a laborious slow slog through the islands arriving in Paros for instance, at around 2pm in the afternoon.
These Ferries first called at Syros, and after Paros went on to Naxos, Ios and Fira (Santorini) where we also sent our holiday passengers.
The Ferries back then were pretty old, and some were ex Sealink and SNCF, but were all the essential part of a Greek Island hopping Holiday.
During those summers the KT Tristars were notoriously unreliable with TECH, and also ATC delays often of 12 hours or more, so on many a Friday night was spent at Gatwick that saw me running between the various Handling Agents, Tour Reps, and Check-in Desks trying to get our passengers on to the other ATH charters (of which back then there were many to ATH on a Friday night, including BA who themselves had 2 Scheduled flights) and all of them were very happy to assist us (with what was called amongst us, Mutual Aid) to take our Pax on their empty seats FOC.
Obviously my priority was to re-protect our Pax who had to make the early morning Ferries from the Ports of Piraeus and Rafina, which included those Pax going on holiday to Paros, Naxos, Santorini, and the nearby Saronic islands of Aegina Poros and Agistri.
Those going to Tinos, Andros and Mykonos sailed from the Port of Rafina (which is very near to the new ATH Airport)
I would be trying to get as many of our Pax on any of the 2 x BY 737s, 2 x DA 727s, the AE 737 and a 757, and the 2 x OM 757s all of which were going to ATH leaving LGW up to 22.30, Sometimes we also managed to get some on the other KT Tristar leaving earlier at 20:30 (a Thomsons charter, but only if it was leaving more or less on-time!)
There were often seats empty on the 2 BA scheduled flights, a 737 and a 757.
Usually it worked, allowing our Pax to still make the 7am ferries to the Islands and not losing 2 days of their holiday.
Then it was a case of getting a Telex off to the Kosmar Airport Rep and our ground Agents at ATH to let them know what Pax were on what flights.
I would then go in to the Office on a Sunday morning (as we were open for Telesales; we took large Ads in the big Sunday Papers for last minute bargain holidays) to give my
boss Kostas hell for always chartering the KT heap of S*** Tristars!
Because it's cheap!, he said, We make a lot of money...
Which was true, the seat rate was ridiculously low, plus we sold 50 of the 393 seats a flight each to Golden Sun Holidays, Tann Tours and to Priceright/Libra Holidays.
Thus selling those 150 seats out of the 393 were underwriting our commitments with KT and Brokers' Viking.
He then took me with all of his Greek and Cypriot mates who back then dominated the Greece Package Holiday business for a big long and boozy Lunch at the Apollonia Taverna in Percy St, rolling out there long after closing time.
Kostas liked me a lot and offered me Managing Director.
Back to Paros,
I had been asked by Kostas to do a 'recce' trip down to Greek Islands quite early in the season to check out both our existing, and look at some new Accommodation, starting first in Crete,
then I took the Olympic Aviation Dornier 228 flight up to Paros to check out our Cycladic Islands accommodation.
When I was there I saw the Tyrolean Dash 7 charter land at Paros coming in from Austria and I thought, ''Why not us >?''
Having handled Brymon at LHR for many years when I was D/O for BMA I got to know the Brymon people well so when I got back from Greece I arranged a meeting with them with a view to a charter them to Paros flying on a Friday night from the new London City.
50 seats would suit us and the Paros and Naxos passengers were willing to pay a premium to go direct if we could make it work.
So here it got interesting,
Brymon were interested and they quoted me for a weekly charter flight series on a Friday evening from MAY to SEPT.
We did out our costings and it was 'doable' to put this together to sell direct flight Package Holidays from London City to Paros,
and now this would also offer short ferry connections for Mykonos, Naxos Ios and Santorini passengers.
We put out a flyer to our Travel Agents and the interest was huge.
But,
Although the Friday night LGW-ATH charters were often seriously delayed, the norm being 12 hours or more due either ATC or TECH or both when operated by the KT's TriStars, their AOG reputation going before them especially at Weekends in the High Season causing our Pax to miss the 7am Ferries to the islands and so losing 2 days of their holiday, unfortunatelyafter much discussion with Brymon and then also LCY Airways we decided not to go ahead as Oil /Fuel costs suddenly shot up due to more looming issues in the Middle East and the Paros operation, although very exciting and doable for the Airline, plus for us, as it would sell, was now financially a potential suicide.
Of course the LCY - PAS flight had needed careful flight planning for Ops and Crewing, but BC said it would have worked for them (otherwise they would not have quoted for it)
I think the Tech stop was planned to be Rimini; I have no idea how it was to be crewed. Each sector was under 3 hours.
The flight was planned to leave LCY around 9pm with a daylight arrival over the the Island around 6am Local when the airport opened, with I assume, JMK or ATH as the diversionary;
I recall Greek Customs clearance was allowed on arrival at Paros as the Port Police would do spot checks if required.
There was no fuel at Paros so I think Mykonos or Athens was the first stop on the way back for fuel, and for the outbound Clearance.
The return landing back at LCY was to be before the 1pm SAT curfew closure there.
Tyrolean, I gather used Lemnos as an intermediate stop from Klagenfurt, even offloaded catering and sometimes one FA due to weight restrictions.
On Graz to Naxos, they stopped in Skiathos, both in - and outbound for the same reason.