Airflight
Encyclopedia
Airflight Limited was a British
charter, and cargo airline from 1948 to 1950.
to operate in the Berlin Airlift operating two long-fuselage Avro Tudor
aircraft. These were flown by Bennett and a single other pilot. Bennett having the only night flight licence made all the nighttime trips himself.
One of the Tudor aircraft had operated 85 sorties carrying over 9 tons of supplies per flight between Wunsdorf and Gatow.
At the end of the Berlin Airlift the aircraft were used for trooping charters to the Canal Zone for the British government and ad-hoc charters. One of the charters was to end in disaster when G-AKBY was used for a rugby charter and crashed on approach to RAF Llandow
in Wales on 12 March 1950. The month after the disaster the company merged into one of Bennett's other companies Fairflight Limited on 28 April 1950.
In 1951, Bennett sold Airflight on to Air Charter
, a small company operating out of Luton under Freddie Laker
.
The company was formally wound up in 1965.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
charter, and cargo airline from 1948 to 1950.
History
The airline was formed by former Air Vice-Marshall Don BennettDon Bennett
Air Vice Marshal Donald Clifford Tyndall Bennett CB CBE DSO RAF was an Australian aviation pioneer and bomber pilot who rose to be the youngest Air Vice-Marshal in the Royal Air Force. He led the "Pathfinder Force" from 1942 to the end of the Second World War in 1945...
to operate in the Berlin Airlift operating two long-fuselage Avro Tudor
Avro Tudor
Avro's Type 688 Tudor was a British piston-engined airliner based on their four-engine Lincoln bomber, itself a descendant of the famous Lancaster heavy bomber, and was Britain's first pressurised airliner...
aircraft. These were flown by Bennett and a single other pilot. Bennett having the only night flight licence made all the nighttime trips himself.
One of the Tudor aircraft had operated 85 sorties carrying over 9 tons of supplies per flight between Wunsdorf and Gatow.
At the end of the Berlin Airlift the aircraft were used for trooping charters to the Canal Zone for the British government and ad-hoc charters. One of the charters was to end in disaster when G-AKBY was used for a rugby charter and crashed on approach to RAF Llandow
RAF Llandow
RAF Llandow was a Royal Air Force airfield situated near the village of Llandow, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, 15 miles west of Cardiff. It opened in 1940 and closed in 1957....
in Wales on 12 March 1950. The month after the disaster the company merged into one of Bennett's other companies Fairflight Limited on 28 April 1950.
In 1951, Bennett sold Airflight on to Air Charter
Air charter
Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft as opposed to individual aircraft seats...
, a small company operating out of Luton under Freddie Laker
Freddie Laker
Sir Frederick Alfred Laker was a British airline entrepreneur, best known for founding Laker Airways in 1966, which went bankrupt in 1982...
.
The company was formally wound up in 1965.
Accidents and incidents
- 12 March 1950 - Avro Tudor G-AKBYLlandow air disasterThe Llandow air disaster was an aircraft accident in Wales in 1950. At that time it was the world's worst air disaster with a total of 80 fatalities...
while operating a rugby charter, crashed on approach to RAF LlandowRAF LlandowRAF Llandow was a Royal Air Force airfield situated near the village of Llandow, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, 15 miles west of Cardiff. It opened in 1940 and closed in 1957....
in Wales with 80 fatalities.