EZYA319

Looking into the history of Brymon Airways and was wondering if anyone knew when, and why, the carrier stopped serving London City.
Of course the airline was pivotal in the creation of LCY and I'm curious to see why they left?

oldpax

I was a regular customer from 1978 until it closed but cannot remember using London City for Brymon ?

N707ZS

Did they use DHC 7s into there?

bean

LCY opened 1986

bean

Early days. BIG TIME

OAB11D

IIRC Bynon were taken over by BA I think at that point the LCY flights were branded as BA-I think the Bae 146 became the dominant type at LCY-not site who they were operated buy.

I certainly remember that the DH7 was used by most flights at LCY when it opened. The runway was extended to allow the 146

rog747

Although Brymon seemed the obvious carrier to expand at the new LCY it was BMA's Eurocity Express that took over....
The earliest scheduled Brymon flights were operated in 1987 to and from Plymouth, Paris.
In 1987 the CAA threw Brymon off the Paris route but reinstated it soon after.
Brymon Airways expanded at LCY in 1990 and allied with Air France. Brymon soldiered on at LCY with ties with AF and SN, with Paris, Lille and Strasbourg.
1991 hit a recession, Brymon made huges losses, and BAE failed to secure a 146-300 order from Brymon.

Brymon was key in establishing London City Airport but British Midland wanted a slice of the action and formed EuroCity Express, quickly renamed to London City Airways to capitalise on this, even going as far as operating identical routes against Brymon.
London City Airways was incorporated in 1986 as Eurocity Express and operations started in mid-1987.
In 1988, the airline was renamed as London City Airways so as to identify more closely with its base. The airline was closed in 1990 following sustained financial losses. The aircraft were transferred to the parent British Midland Airways.


In 1992
Brymon European Airways was formed in from the merger of Brymon Airways and Birmingham European Airways. Already after half a year, the airline was split. The former Brymon part reverted to Brymon Airways and the Birmingham part became Maersk Air Ltd., a subsidiary of Maersk Air of Denmark.

chevvron

Brymon were flying long before their operations at City; I did an ATCO famiiarisation flight from Heathrow to St Mawgan and back in Herald GATIG on 2 Nov 1981.
As we got off the transfer coach at Heathrow, one person got off and walked straight to the forward cargo hatch and got on. As I entered via the rear stairs, one of the stewardesses told me 'afraid you won't get on the flight deck; that was Bill Bryce who just got on'.

bean

Air UK started the ball rolling with146s

treadigraph

I vaguely recall Brymon operating into Gatters with Twotters as far back as 1977 or maybe more? Plymouth/Newquay? Brum? Think my Dan-Air mate John flew Brum/Gatwick on one, must ask him about it next time we have a beer.

Definitely remember one orbiting briefly south of the airport then turning from base leg onto final for 26 probably no more than half a mile out, a cheeky slot in between the afternoon parade of returning BAC 1-11s!

Who was the the other Dash 7 outfit at LCY with a clever pin stripe shirt/tie motif on the fin?

CAEBr

London City Airlines ​​​​​​​​​​

CAEBr

First Post wouldn't accept the picture

bean

Started operations with Islanders 1973ish

Sotonsean

BC 202 BHX 07.45 LGW 08.55 DHT DAILY
BC 204 BHX 12.00 LGW 13.00 DHT DAILY
BC 206 BHX 17.30 LGW 18.30 DHT DAILY ex Saturday

BC701 PLH 06.55 LGW 08.10 DH7 DAILY
BC721 PLH 17.10 LGW 18.25 DH7 DAILY ex Saturday

I don't have the schedules for the flights departing LGW, but I think that we can work them out from the above.

Sotonsean

I know that a lot of this has already been discussed by other posters but Brymon Airways was an airline that intrigued in the past. So apologies for any duplicate information that has already posted in this thread.

Brymon Airways was incorporated on the 26 January 1970 as Brymon Airways Limited operating as Brymon Airways.

The name was actually derived from it's curator's surnames, Bryce and Amon. Chris Amon was never involved in the day-to-day running of the airline and Bill Bryce resigned towards the end of 1984. After which, British Airways acquired a large minority shareholding in the company and appointed Charles Stuart as Chief Executive.

Brymon Airways first aircraft was a BN-2A Islander, G-BATG leased from Intra Airways. This aircraft initially served PLH to JEY. This aircraft remained with Brymon Airways until April 1972 when two examples were purchased, G-AXXJ in 1972 and a year later G-BADK.

The first De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, G-BDHC joined the airline in April 1974.

Brymon Airways leased a HPR-7 Herald, G-ATIG from British Midland Airways in 1977 for a new route between Newquay and London Heathrow.

Brymon Airways was the first UK airline to start using the De Havilland Canada DHC-7 in 1981 when four aircraft were acquired. Two examples were based in Aberdeen flying for Chevron Oil. The two other examples were based at Plymouth. In December 1981 HPR-7 Herald, G-ATIG was returned to British Midland Airways and sold onto newly formed Janus Airways with the Newquay to London Heathrow link served by the new aircraft.

In June 1982, a Brymon Airways De Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 100, G-BRYA flew into Heron Quays in the London Docklands, paving the way for London City Airport. A further test flight took place the following year as part of a public enquiry. Brymon was the lead airline in the quest for the airport and made the first ever landing on the 26 October 1987. Together with it's new partner Air France, Brymon Airways introduced London City Airport's first services in November 1987.

During Brymon Airways history it's fleet consisted of the following aircraft.

3 Britten Norman Islander BN-2A
8 De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
2 De Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 100
2 De Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 300
1 Handley Page HPR-7 Herald

Brymon Airways flew to various destinations throughout it's history including the following. (I'm sure that I have missed one or two).

Aberdeen
Birmingham
Belfast City
Belfast International
Bristol
Brest
Brussels
Cork
Exeter
Glasgow
Guernsey
Jersey
Lille
London City
London Gatwick
London Heathrow
Manchester
Morlaix
Newcastle
Newquay
Paris Orly
​​​​​​Plymouth
Scilly Isles
Southampton
Strasbourg
Unst (on behalf of Chevron oil)

Brymon Airways was founded on the 26 January 1970. Brymon Airways officially ceased operations on the 25 October 1992 when the airline merged with Birmingham European Airways to form Brymon European Airways.

After pioneering De Havilland Canada DHC-7 operations into London City Airport in November 1987, Brymon European Airways ceased operating the aircraft into the airport in March 1993.

Rog747 in post 7, as usual is on the ball when he states the airlines history from then on.

Off topic but fairly relevant to the subject being discussed.

Whilst researching this I was surprised that Air Southwest was founded 11 year's after the demise of Brymon Airways. If I hadn't read that fact I would have sworn that the airline was founded in the late 1990s.

Air Southwest was established in May 2003 to fill the void left by the withdrawal of British Airways from South West England. It's first hub was set up at Plymouth City Airport and operations began on the 26 October 2003, the day after British Airways withdrew from the market. The initial route was Plymouth-Newquay-London Gatwick followed by Plymouth-Bristol-Manchester, this was later extended to Jersey.
​​​​​

aloominumtoob

Manston.

treadigraph

Thank you!

Midland 331

No mention of Capt. Harry Gee as yet, who made the first landing. Some history here:-

https://isleofdogslife.wordpress.com...on-quays-1982/

Get me some traffic

Cherbourg.

Sotonsean

Thanks for adding Cherbourg.

I was actually going to add Cherbourg to my list of former Brymon Airways destinations but in memory I wasn't totally sure, hence why I had omitted it.