Gill Airways
Encyclopedia
Gill Airways was a regional airline
with its head office in New Aviation House on the grounds of Newcastle Airport
in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
, United Kingdom
.
Founded in 1969 by Michael Gill, the airline originally operated as Gill Aviation, mainly providing cargo and mail flights for various companies including the British
Royal Mail
. Following the acquisition of passenger aircraft in June 1989, the airline changed its name to Gill Air. The arrival of Fokker
100
aircraft in 1995 resulted in the airline entering into a codeshare agreement with Air France
between Newcastle upon Tyne
and Paris
Charles de Gaulle
airport. The title of Gill Airways was adopted in 1995, to reflect the growing importance of passenger operations to the airline.
After emerging from administration
in 2000, the airline seemed to have a promising future ahead of it. However, following the events of September 11, 2001 attacks
, the principal financier, the Bank of Scotland
, withdrew funding. The final day of operations was September 20, 2001, with the airline placed into liquidation
and the loss of 240 jobs.
On 1 September 2009, an application for a Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence was made by Gill Airways Ltd, of Birmingham.
In June 2010 the company changed name to Cello Aviation Limited.
Regional airline
Regional airlines are airlines that operate regional aircraft to provide passenger air service to communities without sufficient demand to attract mainline service...
with its head office in New Aviation House on the grounds of Newcastle Airport
Newcastle Airport
Newcastle International Airport is located in Woolsington in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, north-west of the city centre. In 2010 it was the 11th busiest airport in the United Kingdom....
in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, United Kingdom
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...
.
Founded in 1969 by Michael Gill, the airline originally operated as Gill Aviation, mainly providing cargo and mail flights for various companies including the British
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...
Royal Mail
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
. Following the acquisition of passenger aircraft in June 1989, the airline changed its name to Gill Air. The arrival of Fokker
Fokker
Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names, starting out in 1912 in Schwerin, Germany, moving to the Netherlands in 1919....
100
Fokker F100
The Fokker 100 is a medium size twin-turbofan airliner from the Fokker company. Low operational costs and almost no competition in the 100-seat short-range class made it a best seller when it was introduced in the late 1980s, but decayed due to increasing competition. Production ended in 1997 with...
aircraft in 1995 resulted in the airline entering into a codeshare agreement with Air France
Air France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
between Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle International Airport
Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport , also known as Roissy Airport , in the Paris area, is one of the world's principal aviation centres, as well as France's largest airport. It is named after Charles de Gaulle , leader of the Free French Forces and founder of the French Fifth Republic...
airport. The title of Gill Airways was adopted in 1995, to reflect the growing importance of passenger operations to the airline.
After emerging from administration
Administration (insolvency)
As a legal concept, administration is a procedure under the insolvency laws of a number of common law jurisdictions. It functions as a rescue mechanism for insolvent entities and allows them to carry on running their business. The process – an alternative to liquidation – is often known as going...
in 2000, the airline seemed to have a promising future ahead of it. However, following the events of September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, the principal financier, the Bank of Scotland
Bank of Scotland
The Bank of Scotland plc is a commercial and clearing bank based in Edinburgh, Scotland. With a history dating to the 17th century, it is the second oldest surviving bank in what is now the United Kingdom, and is the only commercial institution created by the Parliament of Scotland to...
, withdrew funding. The final day of operations was September 20, 2001, with the airline placed into liquidation
Liquidation
In law, liquidation is the process by which a company is brought to an end, and the assets and property of the company redistributed. Liquidation is also sometimes referred to as winding-up or dissolution, although dissolution technically refers to the last stage of liquidation...
and the loss of 240 jobs.
On 1 September 2009, an application for a Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence was made by Gill Airways Ltd, of Birmingham.
In June 2010 the company changed name to Cello Aviation Limited.
Fleet
Gill Airways used to have the following types of aircraft:- ATR 42ATR 42-Civil operators:The largest operators of the ATR-42 are FedEx Express, Airlinair, TRIP Linhas Aéreas,and Mexico City-based Aeromar respectively. Number of aircraft as of 2010:Some 70 other airlines operate smaller numbers of the type....
- ATR 72ATR 72The ATR 72 is a twin-engine turboprop short-haul regional airliner built by the French-Italian aircraft manufacturer ATR. ATR and Airbus are both built in Toulouse, and share resources and technology...
- Fokker 100
- Shorts 330Shorts 330|-See also:-Bibliography:* Barnes C.H. and James Derek N. Shorts Aircraft since 1900. London: Putnam, 1989. ISBN 0-85177-819-4.* Donald, David, ed. The Encyclopedia of Civil Aircraft. London: Aurum, 1999. ISBN 1-85410-642-2....
- Shorts 360Shorts 360The Short 360 is a commuter aircraft built by Short Brothers. The Short 360 seats up to 36-39 passengers and was introduced into service in 1981. It is a larger version of the Short 330.-Development:...
Aircraft on display
- A Gill Airways Shorts 330 G-OGIL preserved in its original colours can be found at the North East Aircraft MuseumNorth East Aircraft MuseumThe North East Aircraft Museum is a volunteer-run aviation museum situated on the site of the former RAF Usworth/Sunderland Airport, between Washington and Sunderland, England. The museum has the largest aviation collection between Yorkshire and Scotland and houses over 30 aircraft and a wide...
, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear.
External links
- Gill Airways (Archive)