Category:Britannia Airways

Britannia Airways TUI’s logo 2000/2004
BY/BAL/BRITANNIA.

1964/2000

Britannia Airways was the largest charter airline in the United Kingdom. It was rebranded Thomsonfly in 2005. Its main bases were Gatwick, London Luton, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow. The airline started operations in 1962 as Euravia flying Lockheed Constellation on inclusive tour holidays for Universal Sky Tours. Rival charter airline Skyways, one of Britain's foremost independent airlines during the 1950s and early 1960s, had been taken over by Euravia in 1962. The Skyways takeover did not include Skyways Coach Air Ltd, a Skyways associate, established in the early 1950s to operate low-fare coach-air services between London and several European capital cities. Following Euravia's acquisition of Skyways, Skyways Coach Air Ltd remained independent until its successor Skyways International was taken over by Dan-Air in 1972. The name Britannia Airways was adopted in 1964 to coincide with re-equipping with the Bristol Britannia turboprop airliner. In 1965 Britannia Airways became part of Thomson, itself part of the Canadian-owned International Thomson Organisation. In August 1988 Britannia's immediate parent company, the Thomson Travel Group, purchased Horizon Travel and its airline, Orion Airways, which was integrated into Britannia Airways. At the start of 1998 the Thomson Travel Group acquired the Scandinavian holiday operation, Fritidsresor Group, and its airline Blue Scandinavia, which was renamed Britannia Nordic (now known as TUIfly Nordic). In 2000 Thomson Travel Group and Britannia Airways were acquired by Preussag AG (TUI Group) of Germany. As part of a wider reorganisation of TUI's UK operations in September 2004 it was announced that Britannia would be rebranded as Thomsonfly. This airline's aircraft carried the Thomson colours and logo, and Thomsonfly became the trading name of Britannia Airways. On 1 November 2005 the company's legal name was changed from Britannia Airways Limited to Thomsonfly Limited. Thomsonfly later merged with First Choice Airways and was renamed Thomson Airways, retaining the previous logo and colours.