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Mooncrest
11th Apr 2018, 12:50
Britannia Airways began using LBA in 1976 but does anybody know which airlines visited prior to this time and what their likely destinations were ? Passenger or cargo. The only one I can think of is the Transavia Caravelle doing trips to the Dutch bulb fields.

I do remember the likes of BIA, Dan-Air, Aer Lingus and Northeast on the scheduled front but not the charter scene.

Thankyou.

Icthus
11th Apr 2018, 17:02
Martinair Rotterdam DC4/7
Air Links - Argonaut - Lourdes
Dan Air - Ostend - DC3
British Eagle - Viscount - Palma
Autair International - Ambassador - Palma
Treffield - Viscount - Palma
All in the mid 60s

horatio_b
11th Apr 2018, 18:51
Martin's Air Charter (which later became Martinair) were regular visitors during the 1960s using DC-3s and Convair 440s. Not sure which destinations they served.

Mooncrest
11th Apr 2018, 20:11
Thankyou horatio. Given that Martinair was Dutch their visits are quite likely to have been in connection with the bulb fields.

plassey1
12th Apr 2018, 09:11
Martinair operated Bulb field flights i think for Clarksons
Dan Air operated so called Champagne flights to Paris for short series with the Ambassador.

Mooncrest
12th Apr 2018, 11:33
I've seen a picture of an Ambassador taking off from RW33 at LBA. I can't tell if it's Dan-Air or BKS though. At least it wasn't going to the Netherlands. 'On your left, tulips. On your right, daffodils etc.' I can't imagine anything more dull.

Groundloop
12th Apr 2018, 11:49
'On your left, tulips. On your right, daffodils etc.' I can't imagine anything more dull.

But tulips and daffodils are actually quite colourful!:ok:

rog747
12th Apr 2018, 12:19
wardair 747's and DC-10's were regular summer visitors to Canada

I seem to recall Yugotours Holidays did use LBA for their charters which would be aviogenex TU-134's and inex adria dc9's - can anyone confirm that?

again not sure if aviaco spantax or transeuropa ever came in? (caravelles or DC9)

BKS/Northeast Tridents never came in afaicr - they did charters from NCL LHR MME

Mooncrest
12th Apr 2018, 12:32
Wardair and Yugotours did use LBA rog, but not in the 1960s and 1970s which is the era I'm talking about. Perhaps Pan Adria turned up occasionally before getting in with Inex Adria.

rog747
12th Apr 2018, 12:56
Wardair and Yugotours did use LBA rog, but not in the 1960s and 1970s which is the era I'm talking about. Perhaps Pan Adria turned up occasionally before getting in with Inex Adria.

OK ta - just thought that yugotours was at the height of their game in the mid 70's and aviogenex and inex had quite big fleets then - they also used JAT for charters too

first widebody into LBA was in the 80's with wardair and BA 747's although both WD and CP got their 747's very early on and were regulars at LGW and MAN mid 70's

DH106
12th Apr 2018, 19:25
I used to love the occasional one-off specials at LBA, pre-extension -
e.g. Stirling Caravelle OY-SAH, 18/05/78

Helen49
15th Apr 2018, 20:05
Transavia Caravelles......bulbfields.......football???

Not sure about Autair Ambassadors to Palma??? BKS to Paris yes and Dan-Air to Beauvais yes! [day trips]

I'm sure there were others, will try and return to the question. I can usually remember fifty years ago with ease!!

Helen49
15th Apr 2018, 20:12
Invicta Airways, DC4s used on the bulb field trips and the trips to Lourdes.

BKS for just one season in 1964 using HS748s to Basle off runway 10/28 [no 15/33 at that stage!]

Mooncrest
15th Apr 2018, 21:03
Just what was the big deal with b****y bulbfields fifty-odd years ago ? Must have been a flower power thing; I haven't known such a charter in my twenty-plus years at LBA. A longer runway and more capable jets may be significant here !

ATNotts
16th Apr 2018, 09:05
Just what was the big deal with b****y bulbfields fifty-odd years ago ? Must have been a flower power thing; I haven't known such a charter in my twenty-plus years at LBA. A longer runway and more capable jets may be significant here !

Clarksons used to operate these bulb field packages from pretty well every airport in the UK (aside of LHR I suspect); and they also flew similar series in the spring to Beauvais, presumably for short breaks in and around Paris.

In answer to your question, I suggest that the world was a very different place back in the 1960s and 1970s, and these destinations were pretty "exotic" for many of the customers, for whom they were probably their first excursion away from good old Blighty. Out of interest I googled bulb field holidays and cannot find a company offering packages by air on the lines of those that Clarksons used to offer - though the famous Keukenhof bulb fields that were a principal stop are still very much alive and kicking, with the likes of Shearings offering packages by coach.

rog747
16th Apr 2018, 10:02
concur fully with ATNotts

dutch bulb fields tours by air for either a day or short trips were huge business back then in the quiet shoulder period before the summer season kicked off

look at some old photos of RTM and you will see maybe a 10 or more UK charter a/c on the deck

clarksons were one of the biggies but many companies enjoyed the work (same with JER and GCI holidays by air - nowadays the popularity has long waned)

nowadays most bigger and local coach holiday companies (we have 4 down here in west dorset) all offer trips to the bulb fields by coach/ferry from your local town and are usually a sell out

Mooncrest
16th Apr 2018, 10:09
Remarkable. These bulbfield jollies were evidently very much of their time and linked, I should say, to a post-war generation.

rog747
16th Apr 2018, 11:54
Remarkable. These bulbfield jollies were evidently very much of their time and linked, I should say, to a post-war generation.

some of the first mass package tourism

DH106
16th Apr 2018, 12:45
Sorry for the thread drift - any of the LBA regulars remember the Aer Turas DC-4 that spent quite some time parked up over on 'the pan' after a landing incident. Think it burst some tyres. Mid to late 70's sometime?

WHBM
16th Apr 2018, 12:56
Just what was the big deal with b****y bulbfields fifty-odd years ago ?
They were marketed extensively to groups, Women's Institutes, that sort of thing. Many taking them had not been abroad, or by air, before. It also, being in March/April, formed pre-season work for the charter companies before a summer season that was shorter then. I believe passports were not required. Apart from seeing the flowers, foreign shopping for things not in UK shops in those days was another attraction. The coach took them to tourist trap shops but where £ were accepted. Everyone seemed to come home with Toblerone and Nutella.

Normal operation was with propeller aircraft, Viscounts, Ambassadors, etc, early departure to Rotterdam, only about an hour flying, sit there all day, back in the evening, then position on to the following morning's departure point. Clarksons were the leader, they started using Autair's Vikings from Luton which introduced the two to each other, and the rest was history. Some operators also offered overnight trips, which used the aircraft standing at Rotterdam to make a second round trip during the day.

Beauvais was another Clarksons point, being bussed from there to Paris, and there were other combinations and operators. The loss of the Invicta Vanguard approaching Basel from Bristol in 1973 was just such a day trip, it wiped out a number of women's social groups from North Somerset.

Mooncrest
16th Apr 2018, 14:10
The Clarkson name keeps coming up. I'm not old enough to remember but I wouldn't mind betting these Dutch and French charters were their only involvement with Leeds Bradford. The shorter runway then would then have precluded Mediterranean ITs with Court Line or Dan-Air jets. Thank goodness Britannia came along with their Advanced 732s.

rog747
16th Apr 2018, 14:19
The Clarkson name keeps coming up. I'm not old enough to remember but I wouldn't mind betting these Dutch and French charters were their only involvement with Leeds Bradford. The shorter runway then would then have precluded Mediterranean ITs with Court Line or Dan-Air jets. Thank goodness Britannia came along with their Advanced 732s.

yes i do not recall LBA as being on Clarksons list of Med departure airports

LBA was def covered by a NCL tour operator (their name escapes me) and BKS was used - def to Majorca maybe other places too
Global holidays used LBA (again BKS iirc) all viscounts afaik

trying to think of the name of the North East package holiday company

WHBM
16th Apr 2018, 14:23
The Clarkson name keeps coming up. I'm not old enough to remember but I wouldn't mind betting these Dutch and French charters were their only involvement with Leeds Bradford. The shorter runway then would then have precluded Mediterranean ITs with Court Line or Dan-Air jets. Thank goodness Britannia came along with their Advanced 732s.
You are correct, Clarksons never operated from Leeds to the Med. In fact I don't think any of the majors did before Clarksons went under. Often thought of as a Court Line user, they only chartered them from Luton, Birmingham, and Bristol/Cardiff. They used Dan-Air (almost exclusively Comets) from Gatwick, Manchester, Teesside and Glasgow, which must have been 50% of their capacity. As far as Leeds was concerned, using Teesside airport, which few others did, seems to have been done to serve both Yorkshire and Tyneside from one point.

rog747
16th Apr 2018, 14:40
1969 BKS staff mag shows IT flights direct from LBA to Palma Ibiza Gerona Barcelona and Rimini all on viscounts for wallace arnold holidays

mag quotes ''LBA is impossible for Tridents''

1969 and 1970 were the expansion years for IT's from LBA it seems

rog747
16th Apr 2018, 14:57
got it!!


the big tour operator using BKS airways from NCL and LBA/MME was Airways Holidays (what happened to them)

and also wallace arnold and Thomas Cook Holidays on behalf of BEA chose BKS to op from the Northeast

Groundloop
16th Apr 2018, 15:20
Often thought of as a Court Line user, they only chartered them from Luton, Birmingham, and Bristol/Cardiff. They used Dan-Air (almost exclusively Comets) from Gatwick, Manchester, Teesside and Glasgow, which must have been 50% of their capacity.

Plenty of Court Line 111s at Glasgow. Are you saying they were not operating for Clarksons there?

rog747
16th Apr 2018, 15:39
Plenty of Court Line 111s at Glasgow. Are you saying they were not operating for Clarksons there?

they may have done but Horizon holidays became a big flying contract for OU after the buyout in late 1972 and previously their contracts were with BCAL which were then cancelled by court line at a huge and crippling penalty to them

Mooncrest
16th Apr 2018, 16:28
Glad to see Leeds Bradford got to see at least some Mediterranean action, albeit with my beloved Viscounts. If the Tridents couldn't handle the old runway I don't suppose the Bristol Britannia could manage it either ! Did this BKS work carry on after the name change to Northeast ?

WHBM
16th Apr 2018, 16:40
I think the Wallace Arnold (a Leeds company, mainly into coaches) and Airways flights from Leeds on BKS Viscounts were sharing the same flights, which a number of tour companies did.

Mooncrest
16th Apr 2018, 16:55
Leeds United was a significant name in European football in the 60s and 70s so this could well have led to some interesting charters for the club itself and its opponents, provided they didn't use Ringway.

plassey1
16th Apr 2018, 18:15
If memory serves me correctly first jet operation in LBA was Leeds United on Aer Lingus BAC 111.

rog747
16th Apr 2018, 18:58
Glad to see Leeds Bradford got to see at least some Mediterranean action, albeit with my beloved Viscounts. If the Tridents couldn't handle the old runway I don't suppose the Bristol Britannia could manage it either ! Did this BKS work carry on after the name change to Northeast ?

no BKS Brits afaik were used on charters from LBA - nor was the ambassador or 748
under Northeast a Britannia was retained to act as a trident back up
and cannot confirm about Northeast Viscounts continuing Med charters from LBA upon name change as the BKS archive finishes the year of name change
I cannot recall ever seeing a yellow viscount down in Palma for instance but Cambrian did carry on with them along with the new 1-11's

airways holidays tended to be the bigger operator of all the IT's and the Tridents went only from NCL and LHR and a PMI series from MME i think

from the provinces MAN HUY NWI STN IOM and GLA EDI ABZ in Scotland BA (CF) now has a large weekend Med and Italy charter programme using the EMB RJ's but sadly LBA and NCL are not on the list

Swan Tours in London had the LHR BKS/NO Trident charter contract for 2 a/c from 1970/71 for the Med summer and a winter ski series for some years until Swans was bought by Inghams and that contract was lost by 1976

charter flights from LHR never really took off again for many years until BMA had a few to Italy and sardinia with Citalia (CIT)
now BA has a very large charter flight program from LHR to the Med + corsica sardinia and Greek Islands for many specialized upmarket tour operators and Cunard cruises plus ski charters in the winter - same as the old trident days

Mooncrest
16th Apr 2018, 19:31
Interesting times (flower-spotting notwithstanding!) back then. Nowadays, LBA charters which aren't for the Med are still football related - often Eastern Airways - and Lapland and Northern Lights - Enter Air and Small Planet.

Even into the 1980s unusual aircraft and airlines appeared at LBA, such as Busy Bee, Nor-Fly and Braathens. All Norwegian so again possibly LUFC aficionados or cruise ship customers.

Mooncrest
16th Apr 2018, 19:40
Although it was a little before my time, I have often heard the story of the Aer Lingus 1-11 operating the first jet airliner flights from and to LBA, complete with LUFC and their entourage. Given the considerable LUFC fanbase in the Republic of Ireland, it is perhaps not surprising Aer Lingus got the job.

Midland 331
18th Apr 2018, 18:26
got it!!


the big tour operator using BKS airways from NCL and LBA/MME was Airways Holidays (what happened to them)

and also wallace arnold and Thomas Cook Holidays on behalf of BEA chose BKS to op from the Northeast

Airways were swallowed up by Intasun.

Slighty O.T., BA did do some rotations with a Trident into Leeds on the Heathrow circa '79-'80. I was in my first year at Leeds University, and the campus is on the 32 centre line.

Mooncrest
18th Apr 2018, 20:27
Tridents at Leeds Bradford. Must have been lightly loaded or Kamikaze pilots at the controls. I know the Trident/LBA issue has been debated at length on here before; I don't remember seeing one. We need Helen 49's input for verification !

Airbanda
18th Apr 2018, 21:51
Sorry for the thread drift - any of the LBA regulars remember the Aer Turas DC-4 that spent quite some time parked up over on 'the pan' after a landing incident. Think it burst some tyres. Mid to late 70's sometime?

EI-ARS 'City of Galway'. Regular on racehorse charters in mid seventies for Ebor, St Leger and Wetherby events. Burst tyres on landing in October 76 or 77, ferried out with gear down and (IIRC) never returned.

rog747
19th Apr 2018, 07:19
Airways were swallowed up by Intasun.

Slighty O.T., BA did do some rotations with a Trident into Leeds on the Heathrow circa '79-'80. I was in my first year at Leeds University, and the campus is on the 32 centre line.

i guess a runway extension had been done by then? (79-80?)

i was at LHR then with BMA at T1 but cannot recall any tridents op'g LHR- to LBA
but i guess it may have happened behind my back lol;)
we, BMA took over the LBA route soon after then iirc

could it have been training? touch and go's?

ah airways were taken over then Intasun - never knew that - did AE take over their flying?

treadigraph
19th Apr 2018, 08:17
EI-ARS 'City of Galway'.

I believe EI-ARS is this one (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.0376554,8.5959159,3a,75y,197.7h,87.86t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipN6Ql9T43Q-MV4eWu98xYnKYRorNS0xOW-87eeD!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp% 2FAF1QipN6Ql9T43Q-MV4eWu98xYnKYRorNS0xOW-87eeD%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi0-ya30.466732-ro-0-fo100!7i6400!8i3200?hl=en), preserved at the Berlin Airlift Memorial at Frankfurt.

Mooncrest
19th Apr 2018, 10:08
Runway 15/33 was only extended once - this was finished in 1984 by which time BA were long since off the LHR-LBA route and Tridents were well into the withdrawal process.

I don't know when Intasun purchased Airway Holidays but Air Europe didn't begin to use LBA until 1980 (I think), on W patterns to Palma and Barcelona.

WHBM
19th Apr 2018, 10:54
Did LBA ever take Manchester diversions of the BA Shuttle, which were among the last Trident operations ?

I seem to recall two overruns (nothing too serious) of the extended runway, one a Wardair 747 and the other a British Airtours Tristar. Am I ciorrect ? And if so for the latter, was that a diversion as well ?

Mooncrest
19th Apr 2018, 11:29
LBA certainly hosted the BA 1-11s before and after the runway extension, usually when the Manchester weather was unsuitable. One night in early 1987 more or less the whole Manchester-510 fleet nightstopped at LBA.

Wardair never had an overrun incident at LBA. BMA did twice with Viscounts in 1980 and British Airtours once with a TriStar in 1985. All these flights, including Wardair, were regular schedules.

WHBM
19th Apr 2018, 11:33
Wardair must have been elsewhere. The British Airtours Tristar must have been a charter - they didn't do schedules.

Mr Mac
19th Apr 2018, 11:56
Tristar incident was 27/5/85 with a flight from Palma to LBA - charter. There had been a rain shower and the A/C ran of the end of the runway damaging front gear and grounding both wing mounted engines. Accident report mentioned poor adhesion on runway and restrained reverse thrust available on this type. Only took an interest as I was due to fly out of their later that day with BMI and had to go to MAN.
Regards
Mr Mac

DaveReidUK
19th Apr 2018, 12:38
Tristar incident was 27/5/85 with a flight from Palma to LBA - charter. There had been a rain shower and the A/C ran of the end of the runway damaging front gear and grounding both wing mounted engines. Accident report mentioned poor adhesion on runway and restrained reverse thrust available on this type.

The accident was attributed purely to lack of brake retardation.

rog747
19th Apr 2018, 14:28
incredible the Btours tristar was repaired after the LBA overrun - if the a/c had been a few years older I doubt the expense was worth the bother

the flight was in fact iirc the very first inbound of a Palma W pattern charter series of the season - I do not think they came back in again with heavies - or did they?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ian_a_gratton/sets/72157631147170260/

BMA we had 2 viscount landing incidents both in poor weather 80/81 - one a/c G-AZLT was basically a w/off but we rebuild it with wings from a retired viscount

rog747
19th Apr 2018, 14:33
Wardair must have been elsewhere. The British Airtours Tristar must have been a charter - they didn't do schedules.

BTours was a Palma/LBA/Palma charter IT W series (originator was MAN or LGW)

and the Wardair 747 over run I found was this
Wardair Boeing 747 CF-DJC landing over-run at Windsor, Ontario, on 29 March, 1974
IIRC you were a regular WD traveller and on the 727 too :)

I loved your PM to me about your WD 727 trips but sadly it got deleted but thank you
I got her on a DBV-LGW sub charter in 1972 (subbing for a BCAL 1-11 500 - BCAL were an a/c down due the Corfu accident)

Mooncrest
19th Apr 2018, 15:42
The incident with the TriStar was the third or fourth visit of the type. The TriStar flights continued throughout the summer while the aircraft (G-BBAI) was being repaired.

Herod
19th Apr 2018, 17:08
The other factor in the Tristar incident was a late touchdown. The slope from the Chevin to the threshold can give an impression that the aircraft is low, and there was no ILS in those days. One of the Air Traffic staff was filming it, and gave the film to the AAIB. I recall that touchdown was after the intersection with 10/28 (or whatever it is now). I was flying the F27 from LBA at the time, and we were able to continue operations using 28.

Mr Mac
19th Apr 2018, 17:27
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Home (https://aviation-safety.net/) » ASN Aviation Safety WikiBase (https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/)
ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 121576
Last updated: 19 April 2018
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information. If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information (https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/web_db_edit.php?id=121576).










Date:27-MAY-1985Time:12:27 UTCType:Lockheed L1011-385-1 TristarOwner/operator:British AirtoursRegistration: G-BBAIC/n / msn: 1102Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 412Other fatalities:0Airplane damage: SubstantialLocation:Leeds Bradford International Airport, Yeadon, West Yorkshire - https://cdn.aviation-safety.net/database/country/flags_15/G.gif United Kingdom (https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/dblist.php?Country=G) Phase: LandingNature:Domestic Scheduled PassengerDeparture airport:Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI/LEPA)Destination airport:Leeds Bradford International Airport (LBA/EGNM)Investigating agency: AIBNarrative:
overran the runway surface on landing from Palma after a rain shower. The aircraft was evacuated, with only minor injuries sustained by the 14 crew and 398 passengers. The nose landing gear strut folded backwards during the overrun, leading to severe damage to the underside of the forward fuselage. The undersides of both wing-mounted engines were flattened and both engines suffered ingestion damage. The main wheels of the aircraft also dug deep troughs in the area British Airtours Flight KT 101 overran the end of the runway, damaging the buried airfield lighting cables. The accident report concluded that the overrun was caused by the inability of the aircraft to achieve the appropriate level of braking effectiveness due to restricted thrust reverse options and recommended that both the scheduled wet runway performance of the TriStar and the condition of the surface of runway 14 at Leeds Bradford Airport should be re-examined.

Sources:

1. http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources/2-1987%20G-BBAI.pdf
2. http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources/2-1987%20G-BBAI%20Append.pdf
3. Aircraft registration | UK Civil Aviation Authority (http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=60&pagetype=65&appid=1&mode=reg&fullregmark=BBAI)
4. Caledonian Airways G-BBAI (Lockheed L-1011 TriStar - MSN 1102) (Ex C-FCXJ ) | Airfleets aviation (http://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-l10-1102.htm)




Dave ReidUK
See above re comments on runway and reverse thrust options.
Regards
Mr Mac

WHBM
19th Apr 2018, 17:30
When did rwy 28 go out of service ? I used it once (well, twice, in/out same day) on the short lived BMA ATR-42 service from London City, around 2004, operated by a wet-leased Air Atlantique aircraft. About 10 passengers each way, which I gather was one of the route's better loads.

DaveReidUK
19th Apr 2018, 17:57
Sources:

1. http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources/2-1987%20G-BBAI.pdf
2. http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources/2-1987%20G-BBAI%20Append.pdf
3. Aircraft registration | UK Civil Aviation Authority (http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=60&pagetype=65&appid=1&mode=reg&fullregmark=BBAI)
4. Caledonian Airways G-BBAI (Lockheed L-1011 TriStar - MSN 1102) (Ex C-FCXJ ) | Airfleets aviation (http://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-l10-1102.htm)




Dave ReidUK
See above re comments on runway and reverse thrust options.

I have no idea where ASN got that from, but I'd rather take the AAIB's word for it.

The first of your links above is to their investigation report. It lists a single probable cause:

"The accident was caused by the failure of the aircraft to achieve the expected level of braking effectiveness on the wet runway"

Mooncrest
19th Apr 2018, 18:45
RW 10/28 was briefly redesignated 09/27 before decommissioning, which took place about twelve years ago. It was a useful facility for propliners and small jets back in the day. Ideal for Viscounts and Heralds doing short hops to Beauvais and Rotterdam but perhaps not so good for Aer Lingus 1-11s !

Slightly off thread but I gather Stansted was once something of a hotbed for weekend Scandinavian charters so attracted the likes of Scanair and Sterling. Like LBA, this may have been a little before Mediterranean ITs came along.

WHBM
19th Apr 2018, 20:17
The Sunday afternoon (they all came together) Scandinavian charters into Stansted lasted right through to the start of LCC flights, whose daily operations took their business, in fact they probably peaked in the 1980s just before the new terminal opened, so went into the old (wooden ?) terminal on the other side of the runway. Having five of them on the ramp at once was common, just about every Scandinavian charter company, and major destination there, was represented. They were regarded in Scandinavia as "shopping trips". There was a small amount of such charters also into Newcastle, especially once the Metro Centre opened, and Edinburgh. They ran all year round.

Mooncrest
19th Apr 2018, 20:54
The Sunday afternoon (they all came together) Scandinavian charters into Stansted lasted right through to the start of LCC flights, whose daily operations took their business, in fact they probably peaked in the 1980s just before the new terminal opened, so went into the old (wooden ?) terminal on the other side of the runway. Having five of them on the ramp at once was common, just about every Scandinavian charter company, and major destination there, was represented. They were regarded in Scandinavia as "shopping trips". There was a small amount of such charters also into Newcastle, especially once the Metro Centre opened, and Edinburgh. They ran all year round.

Quite a smart move using a relatively under-used airport rather than jostling for position with Monarch and Britannia and Luton. Was Tjaerborg one of the tour operators ? They were Sterling's owners, IIRC.

Herod
19th Apr 2018, 21:20
Mooncrest. AirUK used 28 with the 146 as well as the F27. A very useful little runway, especially when a howling westerly was blowing.

Mooncrest
19th Apr 2018, 22:12
Mooncrest. AirUK used 28 with the 146 as well as the F27. A very useful little runway, especially when a howling westerly was blowing.

Having driven a vehicle along it this evening (taxiway November now) it's bumpy as hell. I hope it was in better shape when it was a runway.

Herod
19th Apr 2018, 22:39
Yes Mooncrest, it was fine. I guess if it's not been maintained as a runway for 12 years, it will have deteriorated a bit. Mind you, if you were using it, the turbulence probably dampened any bumps. ;)

I'm way out of it. Having first operated into LBA in '79, I was based there 81-92, but haven't operated there since I left the F100 fleet in '99.

canberra97
20th Apr 2018, 19:07
The Sunday afternoon (they all came together) Scandinavian charters into Stansted lasted right through to the start of LCC flights, whose daily operations took their business, in fact they probably peaked in the 1980s just before the new terminal opened, so went into the old (wooden ?) terminal on the other side of the runway. Having five of them on the ramp at once was common, just about every Scandinavian charter company, and major destination there, was represented. They were regarded in Scandinavia as "shopping trips". There was a small amount of such charters also into Newcastle, especially once the Metro Centre opened, and Edinburgh. They ran all year round.

The 'new' terminal at Stansted was opened by the BAA in May 1969 and was a rather modest but modern terminal very similar to the one that was built at Luton during the same period. It was not a 'wooden' terminal and parts of of it still remain as part of the Harrods Executive Terminal.

Prior to the 'new' terminal opening in 1969 the original facilities were based in former WWII Nissan huts.

Those Scandinavian flights operated throughout the day each Sunday with the first arrival of the day being in the morning by Transair using Caravelle/B721 and the last flights of the day around midnight by Conair using B720 and towards the end A300/A320.

Scandinavian airlines that operated these charters were,

Braathens SAFE
Busy Bee
Conair
Lynjeflyg
Mearsk
Premair
SAS
Scanair
Sterling
Transair Sweden