Britain's Imperial Air Routes, 1918 to 1939: The Story of Britain's Overseas Airlines.
British Airways: An Airline and Its Aircraft, Volume 1: 1919–1939—The Imperial Years.
British Civil Aircraft since 1919 2 vols (1st ed.); 3 vols (2nd ed.) London: Putnam. Moss, Peter W.
Air Empire: British Imperial Civil Aviation 1919–39.
The Seven Skies - A Study of BOAC and its forerunners since 1919.
Stroud, John 1962.Annals of British and Commonwealth Air Transport 1919–1960.
Agreement was made between the President of the Air Council and the British, Foreign and Colonial Corporation on 3 December 1923 for the company, under the title of the 'Imperial Air Transport Company' to acquire existing air transport services in the UK.
Imperial Airways was the early British commercial long-range airline, operating from 1924 to 1939 and principally serving the British Empire routes to South Africa, India and the Far East, including Australia, Malaya and Hong Kong.
The agreement set out the government subsidies for the new company: £137,000 in the first year diminishing to £32,000 in the tenth year as well as minimum mileages to be achieved and penalties if these weren't met. Imperial Airways Limited was formed on 31 March 1924 with equipment from each contributing concern: British Marine Air Navigation Company Ltd, the Daimler Airway, Handley Page Transport Ltd and the Instone Air Line Ltd.
Thereafter the only IAL aircraft operating 'North of Watford' were charter flights. Industrial troubles with the pilots delayed the start of services until 26 April 1924, when a daily London–Paris route was opened with a de Havilland DH.34.
Thereafter the task of expanding the routes between England and the Continent began, with Southampton–Guernsey on 1 May 1924, London-Brussels–Cologne on 3 May, London–Amsterdam on 2 June 1924, and a summer service from London–Paris–Basel–Zürich on 17 June 1924.
The first new airliner ordered by Imperial Airways, was the Handley Page W8f City of Washington, delivered on 3 November 1924.
==External links== www.imperial-airways.com enthusiast website at archive.org British Airways "Explore our past" Imperial Airways Timetables History Imperial Airways Eastern Route Website for historical information on the airline Website for the Imperial Airways Museum Website for The Crete2Cape Vintage Air Rally Airlines established in 1924 Defunct airlines of the United Kingdom Airlines disestablished in 1939 Defunct seaplane operators
In April 1925, the film The Lost World became the first film to be screened for passengers on a scheduled airliner flight when it was shown on the London-Paris route. ==Empire services== ===Route proving=== Between 16 November 1925 and 13 March 1926, Alan Cobham made an Imperial Airways' route survey flight from the UK to Cape Town and back in the Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar–powered de Havilland DH.50J floatplane G-EBFO.
In April 1925, the film The Lost World became the first film to be screened for passengers on a scheduled airliner flight when it was shown on the London-Paris route. ==Empire services== ===Route proving=== Between 16 November 1925 and 13 March 1926, Alan Cobham made an Imperial Airways' route survey flight from the UK to Cape Town and back in the Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar–powered de Havilland DH.50J floatplane G-EBFO.
On his return Cobham was awarded the Air Force Cross for his services to aviation. On 30 June 1926, Cobham took off from the River Medway at Rochester in G-EBFO to make an Imperial Airways route survey for a service to Melbourne, arriving on 15 August 1926.
He left Melbourne on 29 August 1926, and, after completing in 320 hours flying time over 78 days, he alighted on the Thames at Westminster on 1 October 1926.
Cobham was met by the Secretary of State for Air, Sir Samuel Hoare, and was subsequently knighted by HM King George V. On 27 December 1926, Imperial Airways de Havilland DH.66 Hercules G-EBMX City of Delhi left Croydon for a survey flight to India.
It was also recommended that all commercial aircraft used in long flights over water be equipped with personal and group life saving gear; this would later become standard throughout the airline industry. ===Non-fatal accidents=== 21 October 1926: Handley Page W.10 G-EBMS City of Melbourne ditched in the English Channel off the English coast after an engine failed.
The flight reached Karachi on 6 January 1927 and Delhi on 8 January 1927.
The aircraft was named by Lady Irwin, wife of the Viceroy, on 10 January 1927.
The return flight left on 1 February 1927 and arrived at Heliopolis, Cairo on 7 February 1927.
The flying time from Croydon to Delhi was 62 hours 27 minutes and Delhi to Heliopolis 32 hours 50 minutes. ===The Eastern Route=== Regular services on the Cairo to Basra route began on 12 January 1927 using DH.66 aircraft, replacing the previous RAF mail flight.
Croydon Airport 1928 – 1939, The Great Days.
Following 2 years of negotiations with the Persian authorities regarding overflight rights, a London to Karachi service started on 30 March 1929, taking 7 days and consisting of a flight from London to Basle, a train to Genoa and a Short S.8 Calcutta flying boats to Alexandria, a train to Cairo and finally a DH.66 flight to Karachi.
The route was extended as far as Delhi on 29 December 1929.
Three more left for South Africa, taking six flying days to Durban. ===Passengers=== Imperial's aircraft were small, most seating fewer than twenty passengers; about 50,000 passengers used Imperial Airways in the 1930s.
At the end of the 1930s crew numbers approximated 3,000.
Passenger traffic in the 1930s on British imperial air routes: refinement and revision.
Incidental tourism: British imperial air travel in the 1930s.
The route across Europe and the Mediterranean changed many times over the next few years but almost always involved a rail journey. In April 1931 an experimental London-Australia air mail flight took place; the mail was transferred at the Dutch East Indies, and took 26 days in total to reach Sydney.
(The 1934 start was for mail; passenger flights to Brisbane began the following April.) The first London to Hong Kong passengers departed London on 14 March 1936 following the establishment of a branch from Penang to Hong Kong. ===The Africa Route=== On 28 February 1931 a weekly service began between London and Mwanza on Lake Victoria in Tanganyika as part of the proposed route to Cape Town.
On 9 December 1931 the Imperial Airways' service for Central Africa was extended experimentally to Cape Town for the carriage of Christmas mail.
The aircraft used on the last sector, DH66 G-AARY City of Karachi arrived in Cape Town on 21 December 1931.
All 12 people on board were rescued by FV Invicta. 19 April 1931: de Havilland DH.66 Hercules with registration G-EBMW, damaged beyond repair in a forced landing following fuel starvation at Surabaya.
The airplane operated on a trial mail flight from India to Melbourne with en route stops at Semarang, Soerabaja and Kupang. 8 August 1931: Handley Page H.P.42 G-AAGX Hannibal was operating a scheduled passenger flight from Croydon to Paris when an engine failed and debris forced a second engine to be shut down.
For the passenger flight leaving London on 1 October 1932, the Eastern route was switched from the Persian to the Arabian side of the Persian Gulf, and Handley Page HP 42 airliners were introduced on the Cairo to Karachi sector.
On 20 January 1932 a mail-only route to London to Cape Town was opened.
The move saw the establishment of an airport and rest house, Mahatta Fort, in the Trucial State of Sharjah now part of the United Arab Emirates. On 29 May 1933 an England to Australia survey flight took off, operated by Imperial Airways Armstrong Whitworth Atalanta G-ABTL Astraea.
The first London to Calcutta service departed on 1 July 1933, the first London to Rangoon service on 23 September 1933, the first London to Singapore service on 9 December 1933, and the first London to Brisbane service on 8 December 1934, with Qantas responsible for the Singapore to Brisbane sector.
In early 1933 Atalantas replaced the DH.66s on the Kisumu to Cape Town sector of the London to Cape Town route.
All fifteen people on board were killed. 30 December 1933: Avro Ten G-ABLU Apollo collided with a radio mast at Ruysselede, Belgium and crashed.
The first London to Calcutta service departed on 1 July 1933, the first London to Rangoon service on 23 September 1933, the first London to Singapore service on 9 December 1933, and the first London to Brisbane service on 8 December 1934, with Qantas responsible for the Singapore to Brisbane sector.
(The 1934 start was for mail; passenger flights to Brisbane began the following April.) The first London to Hong Kong passengers departed London on 14 March 1936 following the establishment of a branch from Penang to Hong Kong. ===The Africa Route=== On 28 February 1931 a weekly service began between London and Mwanza on Lake Victoria in Tanganyika as part of the proposed route to Cape Town.
All crew were expected to be ambassadors for Britain and the British Empire. ===Air Mail=== In 1934 the Government began negotiations with Imperial Airways to establish a service (Empire Air Mail Scheme) to carry mail by air on routes served by the airline.
(The 1934 start was for mail; passenger flights to Brisbane began the following April.) The first London to Hong Kong passengers departed London on 14 March 1936 following the establishment of a branch from Penang to Hong Kong. ===The Africa Route=== On 28 February 1931 a weekly service began between London and Mwanza on Lake Victoria in Tanganyika as part of the proposed route to Cape Town.
On 9 February 1936 the trans-Africa route was opened by Imperial Airways between Khartoum and Kano in Nigeria.
This route was extended to Lagos on 15 October 1936. ===Short Empire flying boats=== In 1937 with the introduction of Short Empire flying boats built at Short Brothers, Imperial Airways could offer a through-service from Southampton to the Empire.
Indirectly these negotiations led to the dismissal in 1936 of Sir Christopher Bullock, the Permanent Under-Secretary at the Air Ministry, who was found by a Board of Inquiry to have abused his position in seeking a position on the board of the company while these negotiations were in train.
This route was extended to Lagos on 15 October 1936. ===Short Empire flying boats=== In 1937 with the introduction of Short Empire flying boats built at Short Brothers, Imperial Airways could offer a through-service from Southampton to the Empire.
The Government, including the Prime Minister, regretted the decision to dismiss him, later finding that, in fact, no corruption was alleged and sought Bullock's reinstatement which he declined. The Empire Air Mail Programme started in July 1937, delivering anywhere for 1 d./oz.
Starting in 1938 Empire flying boats also flew between Britain and Australia via India and the Middle East. In March 1939 three Shorts a week left Southampton for Australia, reaching Sydney after ten days of flying and nine overnight stops.
Imperial Airways was the early British commercial long-range airline, operating from 1924 to 1939 and principally serving the British Empire routes to South Africa, India and the Far East, including Australia, Malaya and Hong Kong.
Imperial Airways never achieved the levels of technological innovation of its competitors, and was merged into the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) in 1939.
Starting in 1938 Empire flying boats also flew between Britain and Australia via India and the Middle East. In March 1939 three Shorts a week left Southampton for Australia, reaching Sydney after ten days of flying and nine overnight stops.
The terminal operated as recently as 1980. To help promote use of the Air Mail service, in June and July 1939, Imperial Airways participated with Pan American Airways in providing a special "around the world" service; Imperial carried the souvenir mail from Foynes, Ireland, to Hong Kong, out of the eastbound New York to New York route.
By 1 September 1939, the aircraft and administrations of Imperial Airways and British Airways Ltd were physically transferred to Bristol (Whitchurch) Airport, to be operated jointly by NAC.
Thereafter Imperial Airways and Pan-American trans-oceanic flying boats had the upper surfaces of the wings painted with orange high visibility markings. 1 May 1939: Short Empire G-ADVD Challenger crashed in the Lumbo lagoon while attempting to land at Lumbo Airport, killing two of six on board. ==== 1940 ==== 1 March 1940: Flight 197, operated by Handley Page H.P.42 G-AAGX Hannibal, disappeared over the Gulf of Oman with eight on board; no wreckage, cargo or occupants have been found.
Croydon Airport 1928 – 1939, The Great Days.
Britain's Imperial Air Routes, 1918 to 1939: The Story of Britain's Overseas Airlines.
==External links== www.imperial-airways.com enthusiast website at archive.org British Airways "Explore our past" Imperial Airways Timetables History Imperial Airways Eastern Route Website for historical information on the airline Website for the Imperial Airways Museum Website for The Crete2Cape Vintage Air Rally Airlines established in 1924 Defunct airlines of the United Kingdom Airlines disestablished in 1939 Defunct seaplane operators
Thereafter Imperial Airways and Pan-American trans-oceanic flying boats had the upper surfaces of the wings painted with orange high visibility markings. 1 May 1939: Short Empire G-ADVD Challenger crashed in the Lumbo lagoon while attempting to land at Lumbo Airport, killing two of six on board. ==== 1940 ==== 1 March 1940: Flight 197, operated by Handley Page H.P.42 G-AAGX Hannibal, disappeared over the Gulf of Oman with eight on board; no wreckage, cargo or occupants have been found.
Stroud, John 1962.Annals of British and Commonwealth Air Transport 1919–1960.
BOAC in turn merged with the British European Airways (BEA) in 1974 to form British Airways. ==Background== The establishment of Imperial Airways occurred in the context of facilitating overseas settlement by making travel to and from the colonies quicker, and that flight would also speed up colonial government and trade that was until then dependent upon ships.
The terminal operated as recently as 1980. To help promote use of the Air Mail service, in June and July 1939, Imperial Airways participated with Pan American Airways in providing a special "around the world" service; Imperial carried the souvenir mail from Foynes, Ireland, to Hong Kong, out of the eastbound New York to New York route.
London Borough of Sutton Davies, R.E.G 2005.
Field. Budd, Lucy "Global Networks Before Globalisation: Imperial Airways and the Development of Long-Haul Air Routes" Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) Research Bulletin 253, 5 December 2007. Cluett, Douglas; Nash, Joanna; Learmonth Bob.
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