Draft:ABC-Air Bridge Carriers
 | This is a draft article. It is a work in progress open to editing by anyone. Please ensure core content policies are met before publishing it as a live Wikipedia article. Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL Last edited by 10mmsocket (talk | contribs) 53 days ago. (Update)
Finished drafting? |
 Vickers Vanguard 953C Merchantman | |
| Founded | 1972 |
|---|---|
Commenced operations | 1972 |
Ceased operations | 1992 (renamed Hunting Cargo Airlines) |
| Hubs | (Derby) East Midland airport |
| Subsidiaries | Elan Air (50%) |
| Parent company | Field Aircraft Services |
| Headquarters | (Derby) East Midland airport |
| Key people |
|
Air Bridge Carriers is a cargo airline based in United Kingdom. Evolving from a modest group of aircraft, it has grown over the years alongside increasingly important groups in the freight transport sector.
History
[edit]
In the summer of 1972, three AW-650 Argosy were idle at [[ ]]East Midlands Airport (Derby). Technical assistance had been provided by Field Aircraft Services, which believed they could be the start of a new carrier's fleet, based at the airport. The application for an operating licence was submitted in the name of Carbia Transport Ltd., but in November, when the first AW-650 began flying, it was in the full colours of Air Bridge Carriers Ltd. For the rest of the year and the following spring, a fleet of three aircraft transported cut flowers, fruit, and vegetables from the Channel Islands to the main base. Occasionally, fish caught around the islands was transported while flying back here came other essentials from the UK. Over time, these operations became almost scheduled.[1]
In April 1974, the first Vickers Viscount was purchased. Subsequently, the Argosys were also used on flights to Central Europe, including the transport of competition horses, cattle, and calves. In February 1975, the Viscount was also adapted for passenger transport and flew on behalf of other airlines. Meanwhile, the Argosys were also employed on transports for aircraft (British Aircraft Corp.) and aero-engines (Rolls-Royce) manufacturers.[2]
The first of several Vickers Vanguard all-cargo aircraft entered service in November 1976. Four Handley Page HPR.7 Heralds, all owned by Field Aircraft, were also operated in the second half of the 1970s on behalf of EAS-Express Air Service, an airline in the Channel Islands.[3]
.jpg)
_Vanguard(Merchantman),_ELAN_Cargo_MAN_SEP87_(12945914014).jpg)
In the fall of 1980, the airline began using the commercial name Air Bridge. Regular flights were subsequently operated for IPEC/TNT and Elan Air. The latter was a 50/50 joint venture established with DHL and operated from 1983 to 1989. Three Vanguards were dedicated to it. At the end of the decade a new, more versatile aircraft entered service: the Lockheed L.188 Electra, strictly in all-cargo version. By 1990, there were already three in the fleet.[4]
On September 1, 1992, the airline changed its name to Hunting Cargo Airlines to emphasize the affiliation to the Group (which already included Field Aircraft Services).[5]
Fleet
[edit]Air Bridge Carriers fleet consisted of the following aircraft types:[6]
- 4 x Armstrong Withworth AW-650 Argosy
- 4 x Vickers Viscount serie 700 and 800 operated at different times
- 6 x Vickers Vanguard 953C Merchantman
- 5 x Handley Page HPR.7 Herald leased and operated on third party behalf
- 6 x Lockheed L.188C Electra
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Merton Jones, A.C. (1976). British Independent Airlines since 1946. Maidenhead (U.K.): LAAS International and Merseyside Aviation Society. p. 20. ISBN 0 902420 07 0.
- ↑ Merton Jones, A.C. (1976). British Independent Airlines since 1946. Maidenhead (U.K.): LAAS International and Merseyside Aviation Society. p. 20. ISBN 0 902420 07 0.
- ↑ Green, W.; Swanborough, G. (1980). Airlines and Airliners Directory. London (U.K.): Frederick Warne (Publishers) Ltd. p. 113. ISBN 0 7232 2417 X.
- ↑ Tom Hamill & Kate Sarsfield, "World Airline Directory", Flight International, 25-31 March 1992, page 38, Reed Business Publishing, Sutton (Surrey - U.K.), ISSN 0015-3710
- ↑ Tom Hamill, "World Airline Directory", Flight International, 24-30 March 1993, page 97, Reed Business Publishing, Sutton (Surrey - U.K.), ISSN 0015-3710
- ↑ U. Klee, jp airline fleets international 1992/1993 Bucher & Co., page 162, Zurich Flughafen, Kloten, Switzerland, ISBN 3 85758 135 2
Further reading
[edit]- Wickstead, M.J. (2014). Airlines of the British Isles since 1919. Staplefield (West Sussex - U.K.): Air Britain (Historians) Ltd. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-85130-456-4.
