Boeing 727 Holiday jets.

[Sotonsean]

Boeing 727 100/200 Holiday jets.

Going on from Mooncrests Boeing 737-200 Holiday jets thread I thought that a similar one regarding the Boeing 727 during the same period would also be interesting.

I have combined the Boeing 727-100 and Boeing 727-200 series as neither of which were flown by many European charter airlines during the 1980's.

There were several European charter airlines operating the Boeing 727 on European holiday/charter flights during the 1980's along with the mainstream European scheduled airline's and in particular national flag carriers.

The following airlines operated Boeing 727-100 and Boeing 727-200 on European holiday/charter flights during the 1980's.

CHARTER AIRLINES

Air Atlantis
Air Charter International
Air Columbus Boeing 727-100/200)
Air Yugoslavia
Aviogenex
Condor (Boeing 727-100/200)
Dan Air (Boeing 727-100/200)
Hapag Lloyd (Boeing 727-100/200)
Sobelair (Boeing 727-100)
Sterling Airlines
​​​Transair Sweden (Boeing 727-100)

SCHEDULED AIRLINES (operating charters/holiday flights)

Air Malta (leased two Boeing 727-200 for two years)
Iberia
JAT Yugoslav Airlines
Lufthansa (operating on behalf of Condor) (Boeing 727-100/200)
Pan Am (Boeing 727-100)
Sabena (operating on behalf of Sobelair) (Boeing 727-100/200)
TAP Air Portugal (Boeing 727-100/200)

Air France, Alitalia, Olympic Airways, Royal Air Moroc and Tunisair may also have operated charter/holiday flights from their respected countries with their Boeing 727-200's during the 1980's.

I'm sure that I have missed a few other airline's that operated the Boeing 727-100/200 on European charter/holiday flights during the 1980's.

Looking forward to reading other members contributions.

​​​​​

[GBYAJ]

Another hard one after the initial list but how about

toros air - turkey

lineas areas canaries - one leased for a summer.

[Sotonsean]

Originally Posted by GBYAJ

Another hard one after the initial list but how about

toros air - turkey

lineas areas canaries - one leased for a summer.

Thanks for those two additional Boeing 727 operator's.

Another airline that operated Boeing 727-200's during the 1980's was the French charter airline Europe Aero Service.

Icelandair had a few Boeing 727-100's in their fleet during the 1980's that flew charter flights from Reykjavik (Keflavik) to the Canary Islands and Mediterranean resorts along with the airline's scheduled flights.

In comparison to the Boeing 737-200 there were far less charter/holiday airlines/operator's of the Boeing 727 series in Europe during the 1980's although the national flag carriers such as Air France, Alitalia, Iberia and Lufthansa had considerable fleets.

[Mooncrest]

Air Atlantis
SAT Flug
Wardair - I never saw it but their single 727 apparently spent a lot of time in Europe.

[GBYAJ]

American Trans Air - operated for either Air 2000 or Paramount.

air Holland

[Asturias56]

The 727 wasn't really very suitable for European operations - whereas the 737 was perfect.

For along time you were much likelier to fly a 737 in Europe than in the USA

[ATNotts]

Originally Posted by Mooncrest

Air Atlantis
SAT Flug
Wardair - I never saw it but their single 727 apparently spent a lot of time in Europe.

I know the 727 (CF-FUN) operated charter flights between Gatwick and Canada, but where was the tech stop? I assume Goose Bay, but could also have been Halifax or St Johns. Were there any occasions where freak weather permitted a non stop from LGR to YYZ?

[TCU]

Originally Posted by GBYAJ

American Trans Air - operated for either Air 2000 or Paramount.

Plus of course -22 N284AT which did a brief few months with British Airways. There are pictures on the airliners site of it at both LGW and JER in the summer months of 1988, so no doubt the odd tourist or two on board.

I flew Dan-Air 727-212, G-BHVT, in September 1980, LGW-KOS-LGW. Naturally in those days aeroplane mad kids were always welcome in the cockpit and I always remember the delightful flight crew who indulged the then 15 year old self on the LGW-KOS flight with a wonderful chat about their new toy. So new in fact, the Singapore Airlines paint scheme was still evident in parts outside, as was the registration brass bearing 9V-SGC mounted on the instrument panel.

[washoutt]

Asturias, what made the 727 less fitting for European routes?

[SpringHeeledJack]

Wardair - I never saw it but their single 727 apparently spent a lot of time in Europe.

As someone else above has said, it operated into LGW, I saw it there on a few occasions back in the day. It 'might' also have done rotations to Lahr in Germany to ferry RCAF families/visitors through Gatwick back to Canada.

I flew in Hapag-Lloyd and Condor 727's from Germany to the Canary Islands and they always seemed to be very spick and span compared to other airlines.

[DH106]

Originally Posted by Mooncrest

Wardair - I never saw it but their single 727 apparently spent a lot of time in Europe.

Was that the 727 that once threatened to make an appearance at LBA pre extension? There was a large press turnout, but apparently it diverted as the winds weren't favourable? Early 80's perhaps.

[SWBKCB]

Originally Posted by DH106

Was that the 727 that once threatened to make an appearance at LBA pre extension? There was a large press turnout, but apparently it diverted as the winds weren't favourable? Early 80's perhaps.

Not early 80's - long gone by then. Was a regular in MAN as well as LGW in the early 70's. Also, American Flyers?

EAS and Bellair of France

[Liffy 1M]

Irish operator Club Air, an offshoot of Club Travel, operated a total of three leased 727s in the 1987-1989 period, though never more than two at any one time IIRC.

[dixi188]

Not a charter flight, but I remember the Ariana Afgan 727 that crashed at Fernhill just short of Gatwick's runway 26 on 5th Jan 1969.

[Pat UK]

Originally Posted by Sotonsean

Boeing 727 100/200 Holiday jets.

Going on from Mooncrests Boeing 737-200 Holiday jets thread I thought that a similar one regarding the Boeing 727 during the same period would also be interesting.

I have combined the Boeing 727-100 and Boeing 727-200 series as neither of which were flown by many European charter airlines during the 1980's.

There were several European charter airlines operating the Boeing 727 on European holiday/charter flights during the 1980's along with the mainstream European scheduled airline's and in particular national flag carriers.

The following airlines operated Boeing 727-100 and Boeing 727-200 on European holiday/charter flights during the 1980's.

CHARTER AIRLINES

Air Charter International
Air Columbus Boeing 727-100/200)
Air Yugoslavia
Aviogenex
Condor (Boeing 727-100/200)
Dan Air (Boeing 727-100/200)
Hapag Lloyd (Boeing 727-100/200)
Sobelair (Boeing 727-100)
Sterling Airlines
​​​Transair Sweden (Boeing 727-100)

SCHEDULED AIRLINES (operating charters/holiday flights)

Air Malta (leased two Boeing 727-200 for two years)
Iberia
JAT Yugoslav Airlines
Lufthansa (operating on behalf of Condor) (Boeing 727-100/200)
Pan Am (Boeing 727-100)
Sabena (operating on behalf of Sobelair) (Boeing 727-100/200)
TAP Air Portugal (Boeing 727-100/200)

Air France, Alitalia, Olympic Airways may also have operated charter/holiday flights from their respected countries with their Boeing 727-200's during the 1980's.

I'm sure that I have missed a few other airline's that operated the Boeing 727-100/200 on European charter/holiday flights during the 1980's.

Looking forward to reading other members contributions.

​​​​​

Dan Air were scheduled as well as charter

[Sotonsean]

Originally Posted by DH106

Was that the 727 that once threatened to make an appearance at LBA pre extension? There was a large press turnout, but apparently it diverted as the winds weren't favourable? Early 80's perhaps.

Wardair operated a single Boeing 727-11 registered CF-FUN and named "CY BECKER". It was delivered fresh from Boeing in April 1966 and was withdrawn from Wardair service in February 1973.

CF-FUN was the first Boeing 727 on the Canadian registry and the first jet aircraft delivered to Wardair.

Wardair Boeing 727-11 CF-FUN operated transatlantic flights with a refueling stop in Gander, Newfoundland. CF-FUN also had additional fuel tanks fitted factory fresh for the transatlantic flights.

[Sotonsean]

Originally Posted by Pat UK

Dan Air were scheduled as well as charter

Dan Air was a hybrid charter/scheduled airline but it wasn't until the demise of Air Europe in 1991 that the airline changed direction towards being a major scheduled airline. It wasn't until March 1991 that Dan Air used their fleet of Boeing 727-100/200 on fully fledged schedule service. Up until March 1991 Dan Air used their fleet of Boeing 727's purely on charter work.

Even though Dan Air was a hybrid charter/scheduled airline it was and will always be remembered as a charter airline which up until March 1991 was their main form of business.

[Sotonsean]

Originally Posted by SWBKCB

Not early 80's - long gone by then. Was a regular in MAN as well as LGW in the early 70's. Also, American Flyers?

EAS and Bellair of France

American Flyers Boeing 727-35C N2826 at London Gatwick Airport on the the 30 August 1969. American Flyers operated two Boeing 727-100's up until 1971 and made history by being the first airframes of the 727 type to operate transatlantic flights from mainland USA to London Gatwick and Manchester and Frankfurt, Germany. American Flyers was taken over by Universal Airlines on the 25 May 1971. Universal Airlines was taken over by Saturn Airways in 1972. Saturn Airways was taken over by TIA in 1976.

American Flyers two Boeing 727-35C aircraft had ceased operating transatlantic flights in 1971.

Wardair's single Boeing 727-11 aircraft had ceased operating transatlantic flights in 1973 after it was withdrawn from the airline's service.

[Sotonsean]

Originally Posted by SWBKCB

Not early 80's - long gone by then. Was a regular in MAN as well as LGW in the early 70's. Also, American Flyers?

EAS and Bellair of France

​​​​​​I had already listed EAS Europe Aero Service in my earlier post number 3.

[Sotonsean]

Originally Posted by TCU

Plus of course -22 N284AT which did a brief few months with British Airways. There are pictures on the airliners site of it at both LGW and JER in the summer months of 1988, so no doubt the odd tourist or two on board.

I flew Dan-Air 727-212, G-BHVT, in September 1980, LGW-KOS-LGW. Naturally in those days aeroplane mad kids were always welcome in the cockpit and I always remember the delightful flight crew who indulged the then 15 year old self on the LGW-KOS flight with a wonderful chat about their new toy. So new in fact, the Singapore Airlines paint scheme was still evident in parts outside, as was the registration brass bearing 9V-SGC mounted on the instrument panel.

American Trans Air Boeing 727-22 N284AT on approach to London Gatwick Airport in the summer of 1988 whilst on charter to British Airways.