Airlines operating one type
 

"After the Boeing-707 ceased operation with Qantas in March 1979, and up until 1985, Qantas was an airline operating just one type of aircraft, the Boeing-747"

I found this very interesting, can't think of another (major) National carrier that has operated just one type for so long, or am I mistaken?

Not talking about those LoCo's with 737's here :)

TEAL was a single-type airline for the first 14 years of its existance and it went through three generations of airliners during those 14 years: S.30 Empire Boats, then S.25 Sandringhams, then S.45A Solents.

And during the early part of the 1960s they became a single type airline again with only Lockheed L.188 Electras for about four years.

Ah yes - I can remember the inherent flexibility of Quantas all 747 fleet - one Saturday night traveling trans -Tasman - 15 pax (including kids......... )

One hell of party tho'......

major charter carriers

Britannia airways had just 737-200's for many years from about 1970/71 until the 767 came 1984

air2000 757's for many years from 1987 (a lone 733 for one year only joined the fleet 88/89)

and Virgin Atlantic had from 1984 -1993 solely PW JT9 powered 747-200 and -100 classics (finally 8 in total by 1990) the new 747-400 followed in 1994

but A340's began being delivered late 1993

LTU was a pure L1011 operator (-100 and -500) from 1979 (departure of its last Caravelle) until 1984 (arrival of its first 757)

Actually 1973 until 84 after the 707s went.

Today of course there is Ryanair (until the MAX arrives) but this is probably the wrong thread for that.

Am I right in saying that JAL were purely a 747 operator for many years? I know they were definitely the biggest operator of the 'lump' at one stage. Don't have any at all nowadays of course :(

Hmm, I think the 8's and 10's might have been concurrent. I was more thinking about after the 10's were phased out and before the 777s etc came in? Someone on these esteemed pages will know the answer, I am sure :)

Don't know when the 767s were delivered to Jal - they did have them as have been in one.

In terms of national carriers, weren't MEA using only 707s / 720s for a while? Will check the books tomorrow.

Also Austrian Airlines; after retiring the Caravelles they flew only DC-9s for quite a while until the A310 arrived.

Lots of secondary / charter carriers only operated one type at a time but one that comes to mind is Transavia who have only ever operated variants of the 737. In that regard they even beat Southwest who dabbled with 727s.

Interesting that nobody has mentioned Southwest...well, they did have that one 727 for a bit...

Cubs2jets

They probably just read what the OP said. :O

Transavia may have been a pure 737 operator for a period, but certainly in the 70's and 80's also dabbled in 707's. I seem to recall an A300B as well during that time. BA leased 737's from them prior to getting their own -200's so they were familiar sights at LHR T1 for a while.

Transavia certainly had a A300 and an A310 for a short while, plus a few 757s a bit later on.

I was obviously having a brain-lapse re: Transavia!

National carriers: Aviogenex started in 1969 with Tu-134s and didn't receive 727s until the late 70s. Then sometime in the 90s they whittled down to a single 737 and I think that was their entire fleet until they were wound-up.

1974, BA, probably 707, 747, VC-10 from BOAC, Trident, Vanguard, Viscount, Herald, Heron, 1-11's on the BEA side, and the Tristar coming in, perhaps more (10 types so far).

I'm sure though plenty of others operated more. It's a difficult question ;)